N.A. Newsprint Stable, but Demand Weak

North American newsprint prices are stable, but demand remains weak, Wilde reports, adding that 30-lb East Coast newsprint estimated prices were flat at $640/metric ton in January. While demand is weak from a cyclical standpoint, secular pressures remain intense. According to the Newspaper Association of America, estimated U.S. newsprint consumption fell 21.5% y/y in December (2011 -17% y/y), he explains.

Wilde notes that White Birch has permanently closed its 550,000 metric tpy Stadacona newsprint mill in Quebec City, Que., Canada, after failing to reach a labor agreement with the union members. On the west coast, Catalyst Paper is in the midst of a financial restructuring.

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