After remaining relatively stable in the ﬁrst quarter of 1999, pulp prices improved by 5 per cent in the second quarter as producers cut back output, which helped to ease the large amount of excess inventories.
La crise asiatique a été la cause principale du ralentissement prononcé de la croissance de la consommation mondiale de ce métal, qui est tombée de 4,8 % en 1997 à 2,1 % en 1998.