Report Information - Report Title: Pulp Monthly Report [1] - Date: October 10, 2025 [2] - Core View: In October, supported by seasonality and cost, pulp prices may have a phased rebound. However, without significant improvement in industry profits, it is difficult to have a trend change, and the pulp market will mainly fluctuate at a low level [7] - Strategy: Range operation, short near-term contracts and long far-term contracts [7] - Important Variables: Macroeconomic policies, supply disruptions, and demand performance [7] Group 1: Market Review - In September, pulp prices fluctuated at a low level with a monthly decline of 2.8%. The Fed cut interest rates by 25 basis points on September 17, and the Sino-US leaders' call promoted trade negotiations. In the domestic market, the CPI in August decreased by 0.4% year-on-year, industrial added value increased by 5.2% year-on-year with a slight month-on-month decline, and the year-on-year growth rate of total retail sales of consumer goods continued to slow down to 3.4%. The pulp peak season in September fell short of expectations, and the fundamentals remained weak [9] - The FOB prices of imported wood pulp showed a mixed trend, and the RMB exchange rate fluctuated within a narrow range. The cost support for imported softwood pulp was relatively weak. In the European market, the consumption of chemical pulp in August increased by 2.4% year-on-year, and the inventory of chemical pulp increased by 11.3% year-on-year. In August, the chemical pulp shipments of the world's top 20 pulp-producing countries increased by 10.3% year-on-year, with softwood pulp up 5% and hardwood pulp up 14.7%. It is expected that the subsequent imports will remain at a relatively high level compared to the same period [9] - As of late September, the inventory in major regions and ports decreased by 2.8% month-on-month. Although September entered the traditional consumption peak season, downstream paper mills lacked confidence, processing profits were difficult to improve, and the enthusiasm for raw material procurement was poor. The average monthly price of imported softwood pulp in September decreased by 2.23% compared to the previous month, while that of imported hardwood pulp increased by 1.08% [9] - Arauco's September wood pulp FOB prices were as follows: softwood pulp Silver Star at $700/ton, natural pulp Venus at $590/ton, and hardwood pulp Star at $540/ton [9] Group 2: Global Commodity Pulp Shipments Increase Year-on-Year - Global commodity pulp shipments increased year-on-year. According to PPPC, in July, the softwood pulp shipments of the world's top 20 pulp-producing countries were 1.77 million tons, a month-on-month increase of 3.22% and a year-on-year increase of 4.11%; the hardwood pulp shipments were 2.65 million tons, a month-on-month decrease of 12.69% and a year-on-year increase of 11.08% [17] - In July, the ratio of global commodity chemical pulp shipments to production capacity decreased seasonally but remained at a relatively high level compared to the same period. It decreased by 9.49% compared to the previous month and increased by 7.29% compared to the same period last year. In July, the inventory days of softwood pulp for global producers were 50 days, basically the same as the previous month and 7 days more than the same period last year; for hardwood pulp, it was 45 days, 1 day more than the previous month and 2 days less than the same period last year [17] - China's pulp imports decreased both month-on-month and year-on-year in August. In August, China imported 2.65 million tons of pulp, a month-on-month decrease of 8.0% and a year-on-year decrease of 5.7%. From January to August, the cumulative pulp imports were 24.11 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 5.0%. By variety, in August, the imports of softwood pulp were 610,000 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 10.1%; the imports of hardwood pulp were 1.26 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 1.4% [17] - The inventory in major ports continued to decline in September. As of late September, the inventory in major domestic ports and regions was approximately 1.99 million tons, a decrease of 2.8% compared to the previous month. Among them, the inventory in Qingdao Port increased by 0.8% compared to the previous month, while that in Changshu Port decreased by 11.8% [17] Group 3: No Obvious Improvement in Downstream Market Demand - The year-on-year growth rate of China's cumulative output of machine-made paper slowed down. In August 2025, the output of machine-made paper and paperboard was 13.919 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 1.5%. From January to August, the cumulative output was 106.659 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 2.7% [38] - The finished product inventory of China's papermaking and paper products industry decreased. In August, the inventory of the papermaking and paper products industry was flat year-on-year and decreased by 0.4% month-on-month. The finished product inventory decreased by 1.1% year-on-year and 2.4% month-on-month [38] - In September, the prices of downstream base paper showed a mixed trend, and the demand growth was relatively limited. As of September 28, the monthly average price of the white cardboard market was 3,960 yuan/ton, a 0.35% increase compared to the previous month. In September, the cost pressure in the market remained high, and paper mills raised prices by 100 yuan/ton. The new production capacity in Central China was postponed, and terminal inventories were low, with mainly rigid demand replenishment [38] - As of September 28, the monthly average price of the tissue paper market was 5,647 yuan/ton, a 1.06% increase compared to the previous month. In September, several paper enterprises in Southwest China shut down or reduced production, the market supply tightened, and paper enterprises raised prices to sell. The prices in Guangxi also showed an upward trend driven by the price of bagasse pulp [38] - As of September 28, the monthly average price of the offset printing paper market was 4,807 yuan/ton, a 2.77% decrease compared to the previous month. In early September, the idle production lines in Shandong resumed production, increasing the market supply pressure. Downstream printing factories received average orders. Some factories in South China shut down briefly due to weather, and the consumption of base paper was slow. Coupled with the delay of publishing tenders, the overall market sales were slow [39] - As of September 28, the monthly average price of the coated paper market was 4,968 yuan/ton, a 4.13% decrease compared to the previous month. In September, some large-scale idle production lines resumed production, increasing the industry supply. Distributors actively reduced inventories to avoid price decline risks. Downstream printing and packaging orders were average, and the consumption speed of base paper was slow [39] Group 4: Differentiated Trends in Gross Profit Margins of Wood Pulp Paper Products - The overall gross profit margins of wood pulp paper products showed a differentiated trend. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, from January to August 2025, the cumulative year-on-year decline in operating income of the papermaking and paper products industry was 1.9%, and the cumulative year-on-year decline in total profit was 18.8%, with the overall decline slightly narrowing [50] - In September, the monthly average of major raw material costs fluctuated weakly compared to the previous month, and the prices of terminal paper products showed a mixed trend. The overall gross profit margins showed a differentiated trend. By variety, in September, the gross profit margin of white cardboard increased by 2.03 percentage points compared to the previous month; the gross profit margin of tissue paper slightly increased by 0.04 percentage points; the gross profit margin of offset printing paper decreased by 1.77 percentage points; and the gross profit margin of coated paper decreased by 3.06 percentage points [50]
纸浆月报-20251010
Jian Xin Qi Huo·2025-10-10 01:52