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Benzene activity is low in absence of demand  | The Styrene-benzene distribution continues to expand

Benzene activity is low in absence of demand | The Styrene-benzene distribution continues to expand

Sep 16, 2022

- Benzene activity is low in absence of demand- The Styrene-benzene
distribution continues to expand



On Sept. 15, there was a lot of activity in
the benzene markets. The focus was on downstream styrene markets as
non-integrated monomer producers bought more spot volumes. Producers of non-integrated
styrene have seen their margins shrink over the past few months as energy costs
have risen. This has not been compensated with a wider spread between
Styrene/Benzene. A lack of downstream
demand has made it difficult to increase the margin. Due to Europe's high inflation rate and higher energy bills,
styrenic polymers saw their demand decline in the third quarter. The spread between styrene & benzene was $414.75/mt for
the day. There has been an upward trend over the past week.