Coated Groundwood Market

Prices increased $20-40/ton in July for publication papers. However, with mill & printer inventories up sharply and consumption falling, the full $50/ton price hike was not successful. Shipment data for June was down: -12.9% from 2007, and the balance of this year appears worse. To maintain some measure of pricing stability, the new market leader, NewPage, is curtailing equipment and Verso announced that it will take two weeks of downtime (13K/tons) in September at its Bucksport Mill in Maine