processing...

Blog Details

ARA naphtha stocks continue to fall  | East-West turns negative

ARA naphtha stocks continue to fall | East-West turns negative

Feb 27, 2023

- ARA naphtha stocks continue to fall- East-West turns negative





Naphtha East-Wests, the spread between the
CFR Japan naphtha swap and the CIF equivalent of ethylene, fell sharply
February 24. This is due to a weaker Asian market where most short positions
were covered. April, however, was down $1.50/mt or minus 2.00/mt. Sources say
that steam cracker operators are still unable increase operating rates because
of unprofitable olefin-naphtha margins. To compound matters, ethylene prices have been
increasing, therefore everyone is hesitating to buy [ethylene]," the
source said. Meanwhile, naphtha stocks in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp hub,
as measured by Insights Global, fell 11% to 218,000 mt in the week to Feb. 22,
the fifth straight drop to the lowest level since Dec. 8. Steep backwardation
in the market has effectively prevented any kind...

Exclusive market movement data, shipping lineups, demand signals and pricing rationale continue in full report.

Unlock complete article access with a paid account.

Continue Reading With Membership

This is a preview. Login and activate a paid plan to read the complete article.

Login to Continue