OCC Prices Stable but Beginning to Move Higher

OCC (old corrugated container) prices appear to have stabilized and are beginning to move higher, Wilde continues, noting that in the past four months, domestic OCC fell $58/ton. January domestic OCC was essentially flat, up $2/ton m/m to $123/ton, he says. Export OCC demand, he adds, has improved in the past two to three weeks and prices are rebounding, up $15 - $20/ton m/m to $170 - $180/ton FAS to China/Asia.

"We view this as positive for containerboard producers as high OCC prices translate into higher global containerboard costs. At the same time, improving OCC demand is typically an indicator of strength in the global containerboard market," Wilde says.

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