Paper Stock Exports Continue Improvement

Paper stock exports have greatly improved over the second half of 1999. Anecdotal evidence had shown that demand from offshore buyers, along with domestic consumers, helped drive prices for many grades of recovered fiber.

This opinion is now being seen with the recent figures provided by the U.S. Commerce Department. According to the most recent figures, paper stock exports reached 775,468 tons in October, up 1 percent from last year.

While total exports moved up, paper stock exports to Canada continue to decline. Canada, the largest importer of U.S. recovered fiber, realized a decline of 9.2 percent in imports for the month. The figures for October stand at 210,603 tons.

While total exports moved up 1 percent, the export of pulp jumped a much sharper 22 percent between the two months. The increase follows the trend taking place over the past several quarters, which has been one of the biggest reasons for the driving market for pulp substitutes and deinking grades.