Much shorter lead times and demand that was frequently described as "very quiet” were leaving their mark on the British cartonboard market at the start of December.
"Our company has not seen the usual pre-Christmas hustle and bustle at all,” one seller told EUWID. Others had similar impressions, with just a few experts making positive comments about the state of market. "The entire economy is currently deeply unsettled and in wait-and-see mode,” one expert commented. Many manufacturers looked set to idle their machines for longer than normal over Christmas so that their stocks would not increase too much.
The macroeconomic trend described by many EUWID sources was borne out by a report published by the British Chamber of Commerce in the second week of December. This report noted that both higher costs because of the weaker pound Sterling and ongoing uncertainty surrounding Brexit were taking their toll on the UK economy. Observers told EUWID that many market players – both suppliers and converters – were deeply unsettled given the macroeconomic and political situation.
⇒ This is an excerpt from EUWID's monthly report on the British paper and board market. The EUWID Price Watch for December together with the complete report will be published in EUWID Packaging Markets 1/2019.
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