A combination of the normal seasonal slowdown in demand, due to construction
activity reducing during winter, and plenty of supply throughout the
marketplace brought steady-to-lower lumber prices. As the holiday season
quickly approached, producers across the continent took extended downtime.
This not only for the usual seasonal curtailments and maintenance, but also
in response to quite weak demand. At this point of the year no one wants to
build inventory, whether sawmill or wholesaler. While the phones at sales
desks still rang, supply remained ample enough that sellers could barely
hold off reducing prices further.
In the week ending December 9, the price of benchmark softwood lumber item
Western Spruce-Pine-Fir 2×4 #2&Btr KD (RL) was US$390 mfbm, which is down by
$10 or 3.o per cent, from the previous week when it was US$400 mfbm. This is
down by $96, or 20 per cent, from one month ago when it was $486.
Producer asking prices were mostly flat from the previous week, with narrows
correcting another few points. Interest in stud trims was again beyond
lacklustre.
“As year-end approached, players felt that demand was winding down
overall.” — Madison’s Lumber Reporter
Traders of Western S-P-F lumber and studs in the U.S. reported moderate
sales early in the week after demand was stirred up by curtailment
announcements from major Canadian producers. The hubbub died down after
midweek however, as buyers turned their focus back to cautiously filling out
their inventories or holding steady in advance of year-end. For their part,
sawmills felt downward pressure easing as December 19th production schedules
took them into their holiday maintenance and/or shutdown periods.
Canadian purveyors of Western S-P-F lumber reported lackadaisical demand
overall, even with lumber futures popping amid a bump of business early in
the week. That jot of buyer activity came after Canfor announced it will
temporarily curtail Canadian production due to weak market conditions.
Sawmills in BC and Alberta will be affected starting December 19th, reducing
the company’s output by approximately 150 million board feet through
December and January. The associated reduction in overall supply appeared to
be balanced out by persistently weak demand due to ongoing negativity in
broad economic terms including inflation, fuel prices, and housing metrics.
Buyers remained reticent to cover more than immediate needs, sticking to LTL
orders through the distribution network to carefully manage inventory levels
ahead of year-end.
“Sales of Eastern S-P-F tailed off late the previous week, with prices on
standard grade commodities meandering downward while low grade numbers were
firm by comparison. That rambling pace of business bled into the current
week, with traders reporting good, but selective, demand. Sawmills showed
less availability as the week wore on, as many were already in the process
of ramping down production due to unreliable market conditions and
decreasing buyer activity consistent with the winter season. Plenty of
dealer yards were also battening down the hatches, giving motivated buyers
less options to cover their immediate needs. Narrow dimension items were the
only commodities accumulating to any degree, with cheap quotes and
fluctuating price points muddying the waters as suppliers tried to rid
themselves of excess inventory. ” — Madison’s Lumber Reporter
Compared to the same week last year, when it was US$750 mfbm, the price of
Western Spruce-Pine-Fir 2×4 #2&Btr KD (RL) for the week ending December 9,
was down by $360, or 48 per cent. Compared to two years ago when it was
$744, that week’s price is down by $354, or 48 per cent.
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