Paper Market Outlook — Stocks Are on the Rise

Jones says he noticed a significant change in that market around the start of the new year. "The white offset market is very different than it was a couple months ago when grades were tightly allocated and prices were going north. It seems to be the most volatile category now," he observes.

Although not tied to the recent tightness in the market, Jones points out that there has been some decline in demand for white offset papers as buyers shift to a high-bright groundwood grade. He estimates this change in buying pattern has siphoned away about 10 percent of the demand for white offset stock. "That market force is here to stay."