Coated Free Sheet Prices Also Rising

All major producers of CFS also have announced a $40/ton price increase, effective early/mid-April, according to Wilde. While preliminary February shipments were down 1.4% y/y and 7.6% m/m, producers are pointing to rising input costs. Sappi last week announced a 6% global price increase on its specialty products, effective May 1.

CFS is becoming the center of a global trade battle. A recent WTO ruling says that the U.S. can't apply both anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on the same product. U.S. and the EU have imposed duties on imports of coated fine paper from China (excluding APP). Latin American CFS producers have also been leveling trade charges.

TAPPI
http://www.tappi.org/