OCC (old corrugated container) prices continue to accelerate, according to Mark Wilde, senior analyst with Deutsche Bank, adding that the rally is "apt to pressure Q1 margins." According to several reporting sources, OCC was up ˜$30 per ton since December. Among the factors: Chinese demand and increased OCC use with expiration of black liquor credits. A sustained rally in OCC would lend support to a second containerboard hike, Wilde says.

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