Jul 16 2010
Frbiz.com, one of China's leading B2B search platforms, analyzes paper market trends.
The continuous rising trend in the cost of raw materials in China is slowing, and pulp imports are gradually becoming steady.
The general trend in the paper industry: When raw material costs rise, paper prices soar. High-grade papers are showing continuous improvement in price recently, with the price coming close to the 2008 high. Two-sided offset paper prices this week remain unchanged; coated paper prices rose 0.34%; white cardboard prices remain unchanged; and duplex board paper prices continue to pull back this week. In March, the prices of cardboard, corrugated paper, craft paper and newsprint were unchanged.
Raw material price movements: This week, European pulp prices rose slightly, while the dollar cost of pulp rose significantly. Due to the appreciation of the RMB, this week, the major currency exchange rates appeared to experience a certain degree of appreciation. This week imported wood pulp is down 1.46%, up 1.61% month-on-month.
Output data: Cumulative paper production has increased significantly since last year. 2009's total production reached 93.89 million tons, an annual growth rate of 11.89%; 2010's paper production has seen rapid growth, with a cumulative growth rate in February of 22.22%. Annual output of pulp reached 19.35 million tons in 2009 -- an annual growth rate of 6.02%. This indicates that the recent price of imported pulp is drawing interest in China's domestic pulp mills. Domestic pulp production is rapidly improving.
Source: http://frbiz.com/