As widely anticipated, the surge in demand from the Far East seen on the UK recovered paper market in November disappeared by the first week of December. Export prices for mixed paper and board (1.02) and old corrugated containers (1.05) quickly dropped by around £10/t again as demand cooled, with less being paid on the domestic market again as a result.
In December, merchants report that export prices for mixed paper are holding better than those for old corrugated containers (OCC). However, insiders also reported that there were large quantities of low-quality mixed paper that could not find a buyer. Prices for deinking grades have not altered in December, whereas tissue manufacturers have paid slightly more for multigrade.