Lumber Falls Near Nine-Month Low
2026-09-24 16:42
By
Larissa Caser
1 min. read
Lumber futures fell to around $530 per thousand board feet, remaining near their lowest level in nine months, as rising borrowing costs weigh on housing demand.
Growing concerns over inflationary pressures have fueled a broader selloff in global government debt markets, pushing yields to their highest level in nearly two decades.
As a result, mortgage rates climbed above 7%, a level last seen in January 2025, further weighing on prospective homebuyers.
Although lacking any particular economic significance, economists refer to the threshold as a psychological ceiling.
Meanwhile, lumber-intensive single-family housing starts increased 7.6% in August.
Providing an offsetting pressure, Ottawa had announced counter-tariffs of 25% on US lumber and 50% on plywood following US tariffs on several lumber-related goods.
US forestry groups have long accused Canada of distorting the market, as Canadian forestland is largely publicly owned, allowing its lumber to be sold at lower prices.