U.S.pulp and paper industry posts solid 3Q earnings;profit margins reach the highest level in two years

摘要

Earnings for U.S.paper and forest companies improved in the third quarter on higher volumes and prices for most pulp and paper grades,offsetting lower profitability from wood products operations hurt by the downturn in housing.Ongoing restructuring programs at a number of major companies to reduce costs and eliminate excess capacity helped counter historically high input costs and boost profit margins for the second quarter in a row.Third quarter earnings for a group of 21 publicly traded U.S.paper and forest companies surged 46.4% from a year ago,according to a Pulp & Paper Week survey.Total third quarter earnings before non-recurring items for the 21 companies were 1.1 billion,up from 723.6 million in the third quarter of last year.The collective profit margin of these 21 companies totaled 4.2%.the highest level since third quarter 2004.