US traders welcomed a new year, but failed to discern a clear direction for the market amid the holiday-shortened week. While many traders were back in their offices Wednesday, a number of absences were also noted, and traders anticipated it would take a full week to gain a solid feel for the market.  Buying was limited to covering immediate needs, and a mix of order file strength generated flat to narrowly mixed price trends across framing lumber species. The Random Lengths Framing Lumber Composite Price slipped $3, to $329.       ...