Demand for Russian and Eastern European birch plywood on sales markets in Central and Western Europe has still shown no noticeable recovery up until the end of October. Since the softening of demand in August, which was initially attributed to the holiday period, it has at best shown temporary slight revival for individual ranges. Overall, the business trend is described as unexpectedly weak, as it had been in August and September. Importers and agents attribute the weakness in demand primarily to renewed uncertainty in the financial markets. After market assessments had remained cautiously optimistic up until the early summer, plans are now being made on a more restrained basis again, resulting in more short-term orders and smaller order volumes. Not only is demand affected in Western and Central Europe, but the Russian domestic market has also shown recent signs of weakening. Source: euwid-wood-products.com
