The more things change - the more they stay the same. True words. Many years ago, further back than most readers will remember. Official Board Markets dominated the recovered paper and converting news markets. Published by Harry Bettendorf, edited by Dick Porter and a great staff, the publication was widely read and respected. Anyone competing with OBM, and I was one of the competitors at the time, gave grudging respect to that publishing team and the good job that they consistently did. Yes, you could say things were easier then; board prices were much more stable without the international element we have today. linerboard seemed to linger forever at the magic number of $130 per ton way back then. There was only the domestic market to really be concerned about and somehow it seemed to be in balance for long periods at a stretch. But keeping an accurate fix on board pricing, and especially recovered paper prices, was and remains today a thankless job. Someone always feels short changed, bitter, even violent, at times: a board mill, a recovered paper packer, a box maker.
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