Turning up the heat

摘要

At the end of May, trade was quiet - the sluggish start to the year making demand in the first quarter lower than the same period in 2005. Fencing and garden products were particularly slow to get going, with observers placing the blame on a combination of poor weather, a late Easter, and reduced consumer spending. However, a month ago demand for carcassing, packaging and fencing started to pick up - to the extent that softwood importers began talking about a possible ￡3-5/m~3 firming in prices. Now, markets are reported to be good right across the product range and importers are saying that increases could be as much as ￡10-15/m~3