Industry manufacturing activity levels were mixed in March, according to data released by the U.S. government. The U.S. apparel industrial production index decreased in March compared to February but remains level compared to a year ago, signalling that the spike in domestic production might have been a temporary response to cost surges in the past year. Manufacturers responded by trying to cut and sew closer to home in order to respond more quickly to changes in demand.  However, it … [Read more...]

Domestic apparel shipments grew at double-digit rates for the seventh month in a row in Febuary, increasing 12% to $1.4 billion, helped by a US retail apparel market that increasingly values the ability to replenish inventory on a more accurate and timely basis. However, the rate of increase was the smallest in the past seven months.  Textile mill shipments fell for the fifth month in a row, dropping almost 7% to $2.5 billion. Textile product shipments rose 3% to $1.9 … [Read more...]

The producer price index, which measures the average change in the selling prices received by domestic producers for their output, increased in March for apparel, but still remains low relative to recent months. The index rose by 3.0% compared to the same month last year, slightly below February's 3.2%. The producer price index for all goods increased by 2.8%, a sixth straight month of decline. The apparel producer price increase was driven primarily by menswear, which rose 8%, their … [Read more...]

Global synthetic fiber prices fell in March compared to a year ago for the fifth straight month, led by steep reductions in Asian and European prices.  A revised measure of the weighted basket of prices for acrylic, nylon, polyester and polypropylene filament yarns and staple fiber for Asia on a C+F basis and the US and Europe on a delivered basic indicates that synthetic raw materials prices have been dropping steadily from their ultra-high levels of a year ago. The … [Read more...]

Cotton prices increased four cents per pound in March, reversing February's trend when they fell by a nickel. The 7-market average US spot price rose from $.83 to $.87 in the five-week period from February 24 to March 30. Year-over-year, prices were 50% below the level of the end of last March. … [Read more...]

Although there's a lot of talk about the pickup in domestic apparel business, it has yet to impact either industry employment or manufacturing activity levels. The U.S. textile industrial production index increased slightly in February compared to both January and a year ago, but apparel saw a slowdown in the month.  The capacity index for both product categories remained unchanged in the past month, though it fell in the past year. The capacity index for textiles dropped by quite a … [Read more...]

Cotton prices dropped about five cents in February, with the 7-market average US spot price dipping from $.88 to $.83 in the four week period from January 27 to February 24 after remaining virtually unchanged in January. Year-over-year, prices were 54% below the level of the end of last February. … [Read more...]

Domestic apparel shipments grew at double-digit rates for the sixth month in a row in January, helped by a US retail apparel market that increasingly values the ability to replenish inventory on a more accurate and timely basis.  However, textile mill shipments fell for the fourth month in a row, dropping almost 4% to $2.5 billion. However, textile product shipments rose 8% to $1.9 billion. Apparel manufacturing shipments rose almost 28% to $1.5 billion on a smoothed annualized … [Read more...]

Helped by the continuing decline in cotton prices, producer price increases for apparel and its raw materials were tempered in February. Prices for processed yarns and threads dropped by 6.2%, more than January's 1.5% decline and a far cry from the double-digit gains of most months in 2011. Prices increased by single digits for domestic gray and finished fabrics. The only big jump was for domestic unprocessed synthetic yarns, whose prices rose by 11.4%.    The producer … [Read more...]

Global synthetic fiber prices fell in February compared to a year ago for the fourth straight month, driven by reductions in Asian and European prices.  A revised measure of the weighted basket of prices for acrylic, nylon, polyester and polypropylene filament yarns and staple fiber for Asia on a C+F basis and the US and Europe on a delivered basic indicates that synthetic raw materials prices have been dropping steadily from their high levels of earlier this year. The … [Read more...]