Paper prices have flattened

North American merchants have seen September purchases softening and no evidence of price increases for uncoated free-sheet—despite proposals from Weyerhaeuser and Boise Cascade. After producers cut capacity, spot prices have risen by $150/ton so far this year to $850 for uncoated white bond sheets used in copiers. Note: International Paper, the No. 1 supplier, did not announce an autumn price hike. Meanwhile, RISI.com is reporting that soft demand and weak pricing have become the hallmarks of coated paper markets this month. It’s supposed to be the busiest time of year for commercial printers, but production of catalogs is down and the typical late summer/early autumn tightening of supply hasn’t happened. In fact, there’s been aggressive price discounting reported from buyers of coated papers, especially No. 4 coated mechanical.