This was probably the last really active trading week in Europe. Next week, all market participants will probably be busy making the last preparations for the end of the year and then say goodbye to Christmas. So those who wanted to make the necessary preparations for the new start into the new year with regard to the supply of raw materials were active this week. For the most part, this is certainly to the benefit of the sellers, because a certain degree of certainty for prices and quantities for the start of the year is certainly also in their interest. The talks were by no means easy in Europe. The tanners expect further and significant price reductions and this is of course not very attractive news for the sellers. This made the discussion extremely difficult and not successful in every case. Especially on the Italian market, the discrepancies in the ideas between buyers and sellers were particularly pronounced. In many cases the talks could not be brought to a successful conclusion and were either broken off or postponed again until the next week. In Asia, the main focus is on the consequences of the sudden end of the zero covid policy. On the one hand, relief is palpable and tangible among many people, and on the other hand, the rapidly rising infection figures bring many