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Naphtha Backwardation Slope / East-West Spread narrows further - Apr 25, 2024

Naphtha Backwardation Slope / East-West Spread narrows further - Apr 25, 2024

Apr 25, 2024

On the European naphtha markets, the backwardation increased slightly on April 24 while the East-West spread -- the difference between the CFR Japan cargo swap and CIF NWE's equivalent -- continued to narrow. As the demand for naphtha to blend remained strong and was further supported by higher gasoline prices, there were some signs of tightening in the market. The gasoline/naphtha gap is still wide at $230s/mt, which supports a strong flow of naphtha into the blending pool, particularly heavy grades. The market's view that naphtha arbitrage from Europe to Asia is unlikely to open up now due to the weak Asian demand for petrochemicals and the economics has been confirmed by the narrowing East-West spread. The market has been impacted more by the uncertainty created by the Middle East's...

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