North American softwood lumber sawmills sold wood at a wide range of prices last week, as some refused to go lower than their price lists while others just took whatever offers they could get from reluctant buyers. Strangely, demand was not abated. It was, however, again only for highly-specified loads to fill orders wholesalers and secondary suppliers already had on their books.
Once again no one was stocking inventory. This, together with yet more sawmill curtailments — especially at the important production hub in the middle of British Columbia — continued the malaise that has dominated the lumber market for the past couple of weeks.