Trump wielding tariffs like a conductor’s baton

The first few weeks of the new Trump administration have not failed to disappoint. In the commodity space, the blunt force of tariff threats had the desired effect with the quick submission of the Governments of Canada and Mexico on the issue of border security. The end result has seen commodity markets rebound as the […]
Shorn sheep surcharge

Supply lifted on the week prior for both lamb and sheep, which weighed slightly on the value of the indicators. Isolated rain fell on the southeast coast, with significant rain on the northern third, which has caused flooding. Quality is making the movements within indicators quite erratic, with not all buyers operating despite being present […]
The market continues positive start to 2025

This week’s market continued to show stronger prices despite the increased bales on offer as sellers responded to the rising market. The Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) recorded a 15¢ rise on Tuesday and added a further 8¢ lift on the final day to close at 1215 cents. This places the EMI at its highest closing […]
Grassroot gains slow the slide

The toll of supply continues to weigh on cattle values at auctions across the country. While conditions may be good in much of the northeast, when it’s time to go, the cattle shall go. Feedlots have got their pick of cattle at ideal weights coming out of northern NSW and southern QLD. The rain event […]
Tariff time impacts on beef

Despite pulling back hours before midnight, the consequences of the Trump tariffs on the North American cattle industry could be huge. Here, we take a look at some of the numbers on the boxed beef trade and how the trade disruption could impact our markets. While the North American beef industry can be broken down […]
What to put in the wheat budget

There is plenty going on in world commodity markets at the moment. The possible tariffs the US is imposing on close neighbours and China are still being digested by the market, but wheat and corn seem to have escaped most of the impacts. A query we had last week was regarding where wheat prices will […]
Summer lamb slaughter surge outdoing spring

It may have taken producers a bit longer to get them there, but it would seem that 2025 has opened with an abundance of slaughter-ready lambs. Lamb throughput has remained in record territory so far this year, with figures more akin to the usual late spring sucker rush than the midst of summer. Sheep slaughter […]
AWTA volumes – east looks normal and the west continues to downsize

It is not hard to find doom and gloom commentary about the wool industry, which is fairly typical of the wool and sheep industries swinging between triumphalism and pessimism. Some of the commentary looks to be clickbait rather than considered and then social media acts as an amplifier. With this background in mind, this article […]
US Tariff’s back on the agenda

Another interesting week in global markets and politics. After making oddly specific threats of tariffs against China, Canada and Mexico in Trump’s first few hours of coming to office, the lack of news since then gave hope that any immediate action might be watered down. However, as of this morning, on the eve of the […]
Slump in supply supports pricing

The Australian wool market has continued its relatively positive start to 2025, with the Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) rising again this week. Sellers benefitted from lower supply, a shorter selling week and a further decline in the Australian dollar. Overall, the market has started 2025 on a positive note, with the EMI currently trading 38 […]
The Cattle Market’s January Joyride

The final selling week of the month had one less day with the Monday Australia Day public holiday. Value and volume took a dive this week compared to the week prior, with a significant reduction in yardings. When looking at January as a whole, 2025 has made an impressive start. Yardings for the week fell […]
Lambs steady on the grill

Since the initial price reset at the start of January, movements in the lamb market have settled into a more stable range. While plenty of lambs were hitting the BBQ over the weekend, a sharp contraction in saleyard throughput due to the public holiday didn’t drive much of a rally, as may have been hoped. […]