As spinners report a steady stream of orders, demand for specialty yarns continue to be brisk mid-year. However, the commodities business continues mired in the unexpected slump that began earlier this year. And even for those that have noticed no appreciable decline in volume, orders are smaller than usual and the pipeline is shorter than they would prefer.

One broker who focuses on specialty yarns said that for them, business is stronger than what commodity yarn sellers are experiencing. In fact, business this year is ahead of where it was this time last year. But we can’t move the commodity yarns that I have acquired.

For the most part, with the exception of specialty yarns, spinners are disappointed with where they are at this point in the year. The spinners do not expect to experience an extended slowdown in orders. All indications were that the volume of business experienced over the past couple of years would continue. However, no one is panicking. While business is down, it is certainly not dreadful, and the spinners are optimistic that it will not get to that point.