In the final weeks of this year, the full trendline for 2023 shows some real stability for North America construction framing softwood lumber prices. Indeed, the weekly price of both benchmark Western S-P-F and Southern Yellow Pine East Side 2x4s landed almost exactly where they were one year ago. …After all the uncertainty of recent years, lumber buyers are concerned that prices might fall, thus have been holding off stocking inventory. The muted housing construction activity also suggests caution in keeping extra volumes of wood on hand. However, the discipline exhibited by sawmills across Canada and the US, to curtail when demand was soft, has done a lot to keep the level of supply in balance with demand. …For the week ending December 15, 2023, the price of Western Spruce-Pine-Fir 2×4 #2&Btr KD (RL) was US$414 mfbm, which is up by +$6, or +1%, from the previous week.