Commodity Report

Sorted office paper (SOP) and coated book have shown some renewed strength lately. One source attributes this to the particularly seasonal nature of that market. Companies and private individuals tend to do file purges at certain times of the year, like the beginning of the calendar year or just after tax season, which floods the market with office grades, dampening demand and prices. Now that tax season file purges are done, supply has tightened, and demand has surged.

Generation has been strong for all grades, and sources report that trend is likely to continue into the autumn months. Sources expect generation of ONP to increase in the coming weeks with the back-to-school seasons bringing more advertising, plumping up newspapers.

Sources report no great change in the patterns of recent export buying, with China quietly, steadily purchasing material.