Fashion
ICE cotton slips on weaker crude, profit booking
The most traded May 2026 contract settled at 67.18 cents per pound, down 0.13 cent. May contract has recorded cumulative loss of 159 points in the last four sessions.
ICE cotton futures declined as softer crude oil prices and profit booking weighed on the market.
The May 2026 contract settled at 67.18 cents/lb, extending recent losses.
Easing geopolitical tensions reduced polyester costs, while weak sentiment and lower trading volumes added pressure, though stable stocks and outlook limited the downside.
Total trading volume reported at 68,955 contracts, significantly lower than previous week’s average of 106,740 contracts.
The decline in crude oil prices, triggered by easing geopolitical tensions, weighed on cotton through its linkage with polyester prices. Comments by Donald Trump on ongoing US–Iran negotiations—despite Iran’s denial—along with reports of a five-day delay in planned US strikes on Iran’s energy facilities, eased fears of supply disruptions and pressured crude prices.
This development led to a sharp plunge in oil prices, which had been supported earlier due to Middle East tensions. Iran’s denial of talks helped limit further fall in crude oil, thereby capping downside in cotton and grains.
Market sentiment turned weak as prices slipped below recent highs, reflecting profit booking and external pressure.
Market analysts said that Trump’s statements supported equity markets and indirectly stabilised cotton sentiment.
According to BMI Research outlook, US cotton prices expected to average 68–70 cents per pound, supported by competitiveness against synthetic fibres and weaker 2026-27 crop outlook.
According to CFTC data, speculators added 37,050 contracts, shifting from net short to net long position of 3,561 contracts.
ICE deliverable stock (No.2 cotton) remained unchanged at 115,640 bales as of March 20, indicating stable supply availability
This morning (Indian Standard Time), ICE cotton for May 2026 was traded at 66.74 cents per pound (down 0.44 cent), cash cotton at 65.18 cents (down 0.13 cents), the July 2026 contract at 68.91 cents (down 0.40 cent), the October 2026 contract at 71.31 cents (down 0.13 cent), the December 2026 at 71.44 cents (down 0.40 cent) and the March 2027 contract at 72.51 cents (down 0.43 cent)). A few contracts remained at their previous closing levels, with no trading recorded so far today.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
Italy confirms its position among the world leaders in the textile machinery sector, thanks to a solid and highly specialized production system. The industry stands out for its strong international vocation, with a predominant share of production destined for foreign markets (86% of its sales) and a consolidated presence in over 130 countries. This places the country among the top global exporters of textile technology, renowned for its quality, innovation, and reliability.
In the first eleven months of 2025, sales in Germany have already reached 81 million euros. Among the most requested technologies, accessories stand out (36%), followed by finishing machinery (33%)—the latter being essential for the production processes of the most innovative textile sectors.
Italy’s textile machinery sector will showcase advanced, customised technologies at Techtextil 2026 in Frankfurt, reinforcing its global leadership.
With 86 per cent exports across 130+ countries and €81 million (~$93.71 million) sales in Germany, innovation-driven SMEs and strong demand for accessories and finishing machinery continue to drive growth in technical textiles.
The strength of Italian textile machinery lies in its dynamic structure, composed of small-to-medium-sized companies that are heavily oriented toward Research & Development. This flexibility allows Italian manufacturers to collaborate closely with end-users, transforming customer needs into highly personalized and versatile technological solutions.
“The growing demand for innovative textiles across various industrial fields is further consolidating our manufacturers’ position,” emphasizes Marco Salvadè, President of ACIMIT. “At Techtextil 2026, the Italian offering will once again demonstrate how the combination of high technology and customization capabilities is the key to meeting the challenges of the technical textiles sector.”
Italian expertise, rooted in historic districts such as Bergamo, Biella, Brescia, Como, Milan, Prato, and Vicenza, continues to guarantee standards of quality and reliability that make Made in Italy a point of reference for the entire global industry.
Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (MS)
Cold-chain infrastructure remains limited, with around 8,815 storage facilities and a capacity of 40.21 million metric tonnes, the March 2026 report, titled ‘Transforming India’s logistics ecosystem’, noted.
Despite India’s national average logistics cost being down to 7.97 per cent of GDP from 14 per cent earlier, several regions face significantly higher logistics costs due to uneven infrastructure and connectivity, a FICCI-Grant Thornton report said.
Cold-chain infrastructure remains limited.
Non-standard warehousing causes delays, higher costs and inconsistent supply-chain performance, it noted.
As planning was historically fragmented across departments, deep alignment gaps remain.
Non-standard warehousing causes delays, higher costs and inconsistent supply-chain performance, it remarked.
Due to cold chain imbalance and reefer underuse, state-level demand mismatches persist, while refrigerated transport remains significantly underutilised nationwide.
Persistent structural challenges include fragmented infrastructure and limited multimodal integration; continued dependence on road-based freight due to coordination gaps across transport modes; limited adoption of automation; and labour-intensive warehousing and logistics operations, resulting in higher error rates, longer turnaround times and limited scalability, according to the report.
Technology is becoming central to logistics planning and execution, with artificial intelligence-driven demand forecasting and routing, digital twins for warehouse and network design, and IoT-enabled visibility across storage and transport improving decision making, the report added.
Control tower models are enabling real-time coordination and faster response to disruptions, while platforms like ULIP provide the digital backbone for interoperable, multimodal logistics, the report mentioned.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
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