Skip to content




Markets

Asia Pacific

  • Africa

  • Egypt
  • Africa
  • (Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa)
Change in Analysis Tools Menu
You can now access the Snapshot Analysis, Netback Analysis and Price Changes sections under the Price Wizard menu.

Filter Options
Text :
Search Criteria :
Territory/Country :
Product Group/Product :
News Type :
My Favorites:

Engineering Polymers - Europe October 2016

by ChemOrbis Editorial Team - content@chemorbis.com
  • 03/10/2016 (16:46)

Month: September 2016
€/ton €/ton
Polymer MinMax
EPS12001280
PA 614501650
PA 6,6 20002200
PC 21002400
SAN 16001800
PBT18702200
POM 13001450
PMMA 2050 2400


PC prices followed a stable trend in September. Supply and demand dynamics were balanced. A buyer thinks that PC prices are stabilizing ahead of the year-end. The market is quiet and it isn’t lending support to any hike attempts. A compounder said that his European supplier lowered their prices in by around €50/ton to gain competitiveness. The outlook is stable for October.

In September, PA6 and PA6,6 followed a mostly stable path even though players were initially anticipating some increases for this month. PA6 offers remained unchanged from August, while PA6,6 offers on the previous low ends are no longer available in the market after the slight increases were registered between July and August. September benzene contracts were agreed €25/ton ($28/ton) lower from August at €627/ton ($698/ton) FD NWE. August caprolactam contracts in Europe were announced with increases, while initial contract price for September has been settled with rollovers, according to market sources. A compounder received competitive offers from a South Korean supplier. Demand has not picked-up after the summer holiday. Buying interest was generally slow because of political, economic, geopolitical factors both in Europe and globally. However, a buyer observed a slight improvement in his end product demand. The automotive sector is performing well and consumption is considered to be good. Availability for PA6,6 has improved while it is still ample for PA6. Some players reported they heard about supply issues at the beginning of the month following Hanjin’s crisis, but the situation has then improved. Players do not anticipate any notable changes for October even though some of them have bearish expectations.

SAN prices remained unchanged in September after styrene contracts were agreed with decreases of €20/ton from August. Offers were reported at stable levels both from European and Asian suppliers. A buyer reported that a West European producer was initially targeting increases of around €20/ton for September, but conceded to rollovers afterwards due to thin trading activities. Demand is yet to improve and no supply issues were reported. Players are expecting prices to remain stable until December.

EPS prices were reported with rollovers to decreases of €10-20/ton in September. Deals were closed at stable levels at the beginning of the month, but some buyers later reported obtaining slight discounts from their suppliers in line with the styrene drop of €20/ton. In the first days of the month market sources reported that Synthos S.A., one of the largest manufacturers of chemical raw materials in Poland, completed the purchase of INEOS Styrenics, expandable polystyrene business (EPS) of INEOS Enterprises, becoming the market leader for expandable polystyrene in Europe. Deliveries from the company were suspended until September 5, without causing any supply issues as they had informed their customers in advance. Demand was weak, while availability was comfortable. October styrene contracts were settled down €50/ton from September at €985/ton FOB NWE, which is seen exerting downward pressure on the EPS market.

PMMA offers also tracked a stable trend for another month in September in line with expectations, with producers maintaining their quarterly price unchanged for European material. The September MMA contract was settled with increases of €30/ton, according to market sources. MMA availability is tight and costs have been following a bullish path recently. New prices for the last quarter of the year have not been announced yet. A buyer thinks that European suppliers will target increases of around €40-50/ton on their new offers. Another buyer commented that increases will not materialize until January, when demand is supposed to pick up, as many sellers might concede to price cuts to deplete their stocks in the last quarter. A buyer reported that demand for PMMA is contracting because many buyers are switching their production to PC due to lower costs.

POM and PBT prices didn’t register any notable changes in September. Supply was good while demand was regular according to market players. No major changes are anticipated for the upcoming month.

Price ranges reported include an average freight cost to the customers’ location as well as duties if applicable, although VAT is not included.

Free Trial
Member Login