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26 July 2007
For April 2007, China's wool imports from the top three suppliers all increased, with the volume of imports from Australia up by less year-on-year than those from New Zealand and Uruguay. Imports from all other countries grew rapidly year-on-year, although from a relatively low base. To some degree this reflects a reaction to the rapid rise in greasy wool prices in China's traditional major suppliers.
25 July 2007
Available data show that Australia's raw wool exports fell in April year-on-year, but the value of raw wool exports rose year-on-year. The year-on-year fall in export volumes was larger than the fall in March, which ended a run of year-on-year increases in export volumes since August 2006. The year-on-year value increase was the smallest for the season since September 2006, when the current upturn in export value growth started.
19 July 2007
Personal consumption of clothing in the US continued the positive year-on-year results in April, but fell compared to the previous month. Personal consumption of men's clothing increased moderately year-on-year in April, while women's wear was more subdued. Personal consumption of floor coverings continued to decrease year-on-year.
17 July 2007
China's apparel retail sales (all fibres) fell back a little in March from the surge in February but remained strong. In comparison to the same month the previous year, the growth rate was slower. Up to March of this year monthly data has shown some volatility due to the timing of the Chinese Spring Festival.
12 July 2007
Over recent months, US$ prices of domestically produced worsted weaving yarns in Japan, 2/48s and 2/60s, have both tracked downwards after peaking in March. By comparison, monthly average raw apparel wool prices, as measured by the Australian EMI, rose solidly in US$ terms.
11 July 2007
Until mid-April cotton prices were trading solidly. Both future and physical prices then fell due to weak demand from China and record levels of US cotton stocks. However, by the end of May and in early June prices appeared to have bottomed out as they began to rise.
6 July 2007
In the last sale before the mid-year break and a week when the US exchange rate increased by 1.9%, the Australian wool market finished 0.8% lower, on average, at sales in Sydney, Melbourne and Fremantle this week.
4 July 2007
Labour costs have risen in China, Italy, India, Turkey, and South Korea between 2002 and 2007, according to Werner International's hourly labour cost comparison reports for the primary textile industry. Labour costs have also risen across all developing countries.
3 July 2007
Rome based ISAE's (Institute for Studies and Economic Analyses) seasonally adjusted consumer confidence index for Italy, based on a poll of 2000 households, rose above expectations in May, however June saw an unexpected drop in confidence.
31 July 2007
Expectations for a long-awaited takeoff in domestic demand in Korea, the third-largest wool consumer at retail in Asia, were re-ignited last month with the announcement from Samsung Economic Research Institute, a leading private-sector think-tank, that economic sentiment has significantly changed from the second half of last year.