Forestry & Paper: Industry Insights

Key message: Paper pulp prices stable for now, but softness likely to follow, while graphic paper prices need further momentum to absorb higher pulp costs. Containerboard prices in Europe continue to gain further ground and sack kraft prices set to increase by around 4% (€50/t) from July 1. Nordic Paper and Billerud report results next week Friday.

Forestry & Paper: Industry Insights

The second quarter witnessed continued momentum for pulp prices in both Europe and China, though this now appears to be easing. The dissolving wood pulp price saw an improvement of 4%, while the VSF price remained stable. In contrast, graphic paper prices experienced limited movement. Encouragingly, containerboard producers in Europe managed to increase their prices by 6-10%.