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Supply shortage expected to continue  | Some deals done on floating basis

Supply shortage expected to continue | Some deals done on floating basis

Feb 16, 2023

- Supply shortage expected to continue- Some deals done on floating basis





Due to tight supply, discussion levels in
Asian Ethylene markets rose on February 15. Multiple market sources expect the supply crunch
to continue despite low operating rates for Asian naphtha-fed steam crackeders
and limited deep sea availability. A trader from China stated that
crackers cannot increase operating rates because naphtha prices have risen too
much and margins are low. Some deals were made on a floating
basis with a premium of $30-35/mt to CFR Northeast Asia. The
benchmark C+F Japan Naphtha marker was down $6.25/mt to $721.625/mt by Asian
close on February 15. The spread for ethylene-naphtha was $178.375/mt.
This is lower than the average spread of $300-$350/mt among non-integrated
producers.