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Most buyers remain on the sidelines due to lower margins / Ethylene/naphtha Spread remains Below Breakeven

Most buyers remain on the sidelines due to lower margins / Ethylene/naphtha Spread remains Below Breakeven

Apr 30, 2024

On April 29, the Asian ethylene market was in a lull. Participants were waiting for clues about downstream direction. Sources said that the persistently low downstream demand was weighing on buyers' appetites, and most buyers stayed on the sidelines due to eroded margins. Prices of styrene monmer dropped sharply today which further hurt margins. There is no way that standalone SM plants could continue to buy ethylene at these prices. Analysts in China said that startups on the domestic market may further impact price discussions and ethylene sentiment. The CFR Northeast Asia assessment remained unchanged on April 29 at $905/mt, while the CFR Southeast Asia assessment remained at $1010/mt during the same period due to the lack of activity. The benchmark C+F Japan Naphtha was up $0.25/mt for the day...

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