Orient Securities·2025-06-08 10:30Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Positive" investment rating for the paper and light industry sector [6]. Core Insights - The light manufacturing industry index increased by 2.18%, outperforming the market by 1.30 percentage points, with the paper sub-sector rising by 1.78%, also surpassing the market by 0.90 percentage points [2][12]. - The report highlights that the cultural paper sector is entering an off-peak season, leading to a decline in pulp prices, while recommending leading companies in the integrated pulp and paper industry [4]. Summary by Sections Market Overview - The light manufacturing industry index rose by 2.18%, ranking 8th among 28 first-level industries, with the paper sub-sector increasing by 1.78% [2][12]. - The four major sub-sectors of light manufacturing, ranked by growth, are entertainment products, furniture, paper, and packaging printing, with respective increases of 5.51%, 2.03%, 1.78%, and 1.21% [12][18]. Industry Data Tracking - The report notes that the national waste paper price increased slightly by 4 CNY/ton, while the prices of various pulp types remained stable or decreased [9][24]. - The average market price for finished paper remained stable, with specific increases noted for white cardboard, which rose by 16 CNY/ton to 4095 CNY/ton [37][41]. Profitability Analysis - Profitability levels for finished paper products showed differentiation, with small paper companies experiencing increases in profitability, while larger companies faced declines [46][49]. - For instance, small enterprises in double glue paper saw an increase of 17 CNY/ton, while large enterprises experienced a decrease of 10 CNY/ton [46][51]. Production and Trade Data - The cumulative production of mechanical paper and paperboard from January to April 2025 reached 51.57 million tons, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 3.3% [55][56]. - Import volumes for paper and paperboard decreased by 10.5% year-on-year, while export volumes increased by 11.1% during the same period [55][58].