European imports of tropical timber showed healthy growth between January and November of last year, with total value rising 15% to €2.059bn (2014: €1.788bn). The first quarter of 2015 was particularly strong, with an increase of 20.5% over the still relatively weak first three months of 2014. After a dip in summer 2015, imports picked up again between September and November last year (Chart 1).
Continue reading “Healthy Growth in EU Tropical Wood Imports During 2015 – ITTO European Market Report 31st January 2016”Weak Growth Continues – ITTO European Market Report 12th January 2016
Over the last 5 years, the words “flat”, “stagnant” and “slow” have frequently been used in relation to the European wood market. At the start of 2016, the situation has hardly changed. Overall growth in the European construction sector and wider economy has picked up only slowly since hitting bottom in early 2013. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that GDP in the 28 European Union countries will grow 2% in 2016, marginally up from 1.9% in 2015. But there is mounting concern that the world economy will enter a cyclical downturn before Europe regains the ground it lost in the financial and euro crises.
Continue reading “Weak Growth Continues – ITTO European Market Report 12th January 2016”