Global market pulp prices continue to defy the commodity trends, remaining high in April as inter-sectoral demand balances continue to change. In the main Chinese market, shown in Figure 1, Bleached Softwood Kraft (BSK) pulp prices rose USD20/t on average to USD610/t, while Bleached Eucalypt Kraft (BEK) pulp prices shifted… Read More
Freight: Shipping tells us trade slump is here [Subscribers Only]
Though it is not always true, global shipping indices – especially the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) – are often a good indicator of future trade and economic activity. When the BDI collapsed on 14th May, to a crushingly low 393 points, the main indices of raw materials movements around the… Read More
Special Edition: Disruption unpacked for Australian and New Zealand paper and board industries
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: Friday 17th April 2020. As the impact of the pandemic continues to reverberate throughout societies and economies, IndustryEdge has issued a mid-month special edition of its flagship Pulp & Paper Edge. Delivered in a ‘fast-to-market’ slide-deck format, the edition addresses the significant questions asked by many of the… Read More
Import disruptions minimal to date: COVID-19 Update
[Up to date at 5pm, AEDT: Wednesday 25th March 2020] At the time of writing IndustryEdge was not aware of any significant import supply disruptions in the paper and paperboard sector in Australia. The focus is on imports of Printing & Communication papers and the trade in Packaging & Industrial grades. The… Read More
China turns shipping back on, but that’s just a start
As the COVID-19 pandemic crisis continues and deepens globally, shipping and freight continue to be the life-blood for many nations. Beyond mere economics and trade, it is shipping and freight that delivers food and medical supplies to much of the world, every month. All eyes were turned to China as… Read More
Pulp importers feel the pleasure, and the pain
Australia’s pulp importers – mainly the tissue manufacturers – have felt the pleasures and the pains of global pulp markets over the last two years. Imports year-ended November 2019 totalled a very typical 285.7 kt, down 2.7% from a year earlier. There are few alternatives for the local tissue producers… Read More
NZ pulp exports rise as prices stumble
New Zealand’s pulp exports rose 7.2% year-ended November 2019, at the same time as average export prices fell more than 32% in New Zealand dollar terms. Exports for the year totalled 960,830 tonnes, with the average price in November falling to NZDFob662/t, or NZD313/t lower than a year earlier. Given… Read More
Australian woodchip export deliveries: 372,506 bdmt (e) in November 2019
November saw total deliveries of Australian woodchips fall to an estimated 372,506 bdmt, with all deliveries headed into China and Japan. Deliveries to China accounted for 71.7% of the total in November, with Japan receiving the remaining 28.3%. Our provisional view is that deliveries in December will return to trend,… Read More
Recovered paper export pressures compound
Global recovered paper markets are operating under intensifying pressure as 2019 comes to a close. Exports for the year to the end of October totaled 1.110 million tonnes, down 7.2% on the prior year. All indications are that the softening of global economic conditions and of Chinese manufacturing in particular,… Read More
2020: Freight Costs Will Rise
2020 will see higher global freight costs, especially for containerised goods. A swathe of factors is converging to see higher freight costs apply to nearly all global routes, with the longest routes – like those from Europe to Australia – likely to see sharply higher costs. Information supplied to customers… Read More