<B>Exports Up First Half of Year</B>

Paper stock exports held up nicely during the seven months of the year, belying the slide seen in the shipment over the past several months. While U.S. Commerce Department figures show a strong export market, Canada continues to play a much larger role in the export market.

Total paper stock exports shot up 24 percent for the first seven months, with July’s exports topping 802,000 tons. Of the total exports, shipments to Canada, the largest importer of U.S. secondary fiber, jumped by 35 percent for the year, with July’s total topping 250,000 tons.

Although the export market slowed during the late summer months, more recent comments by exports express a modicum of optimism. There has been some modest strengthening of demand by a host of Asian mills. This has helped firm prices on both the East and West Coast.