US pulp contract prices unchanged on steady demand but spot markets slide by $10-20; China BSK market cracks

摘要

North American pulp market fundamentals showed early signs that they are beginning to loosen during a typical seasonal slowdown, with softwood availability expected to rise over the summer and hardwood remaining balanced over the short term. Little change was reported in US prices, though, with preliminary effective list prices for northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp unchanged at $980/tonne, sources told PPI Pulp & Paper Week.