Author: kkosman

  • US Challenges WTO Dispute Resolution Mechanism

    Comments were delivered on the first day of the World Trade Organization’s two-day biennial trade policy review of the US. The European Union’s ambassador to the World Trade Organization, Marc Vanheukelen, said on Monday that he had hoped US President Donald Trump’s protectionist promises on the campaign would end before he entered the White House.  The…

  • Sawmill Curtailments, Reopenings, Investment

    Canfor Corp said Monday it is extending the temporary curtailment of sawmill operations in British Columbia announced in November, and will cut operating hours at some sawmills throughout 1Q 2019. It also plans to reduce operating hours at some of its mills throughout 1Q  2019. The company said its sawmills will resume production on January…

  • North American Sawmill Capacity Utilization, Lumber Production: Sept 2018

    US #softwood #lumber production dropped remarkably from last month, shrinking by -15 per cent in September compared to the month prior and dropping -1.1 per cent from August 2017, according to statistics from the Western Wood Products Association’s Lumber Track, released Wednesday. US lumber production totalled 2,724 million board feet (MMBF) in September compared to…

  • US Building Materials Prices Lower: Nov 2018

    Softwood lumber prices fell -3% in November the second consecutive decrease for the index to the latest US Producer Price Index (PPI) released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Tuesday, said the US National Association of Home Builders. The producer price index for softwood lumber has fallen -23.6% (not seasonally adjusted) since setting cycle…

  • Current Softwood Lumber Prices Compared to Recent and Historical Highs: Dec 2018

    Trading of US and Canadian softwood lumber last week continued it’s usual annual slide to seasonal holiday sawmill closures and curtailments. The price of benchmark Western Spruce-Pine-Fir KD 2×4 #2&Btr construction framing dimension lumber commodity stayed level with the previous week, as did many other standard North American homebuilding wood materials. Friday’s print in Madison’s…