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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Major suppliers of expandable polystyrene (EPS) to Ukraine keep their price offers for May shipments at April's level, according to MRC Price report.
Thus, the Ukrainian producer Concern Stirol (Gorlovka) has kept its quotation at UAH19,300-19,400/tonne, FCA.
Russian producer SIBUR-Khimprom has also retained its previous price offer for May shipments, which amounted to USD2,000/tonne FCA Perm. In the Ukrainian market, the price of Perm Alphapor is UAH21,000/tonne with downward and upward deviations depending on quantities of material and terms of payment.
Meantime, the Polish producer Synthos has set its price offer at EUR1,460/tonne FCA. In April the value of the Polish polystyrene ranged EUR1,470-1,570/tonne FCA. However, given the current price of material, Ukrainian companies might resume procurement of Polish EPS only with a suitable exchange rate, which increases the probability of purchases on the residual basis.
In early May, Asian EPS producers reduced their price offer to USD1,940-1,950/tonne CIF Odessa. However, already in the middle of the month, Asian EPS quotations returned to its previous level, namely, USD1,970-1,990/tonne CIF Odessa. The price of material is expected to continue to grow in the coming weeks on the back of positive expectations regarding demand for EPS in the Asian region.
MRC
EPS prices Ukraine remain steady
March imports of PET to Kazakhstan fell by 60%
In March imports of PET granulate to Kazakhstan totalled to about 3,400 tonnes, while in February the imports of PET to the region amounted to more than 5,400 tonnes.
Cheaper Chinese PET made the biggest share in the structure of the imports, with more than 2,400 tonnes.
The supplies of Korean PET made about 1,000 tonnes.
According to market players, the reason for decline in imports was the drop in spot prices in Asia and weaker demand in the domestic market, resulting in the cuts of the purchases in China and Korea. At the same time, market players are sure that April imports exceed the March level.
MRC
LDPE prices at auction in Belarus remained steady
On May 16, there was domestic auction for the supply of high-density polyethylene (LDPE) in Belarus.
Buying activity at the auction was high enough, the only exception was the LDPE for shrinkable film production.
Though the demand for LDPE is high in the market, its prices remained almost at the starting level - BRb12.97 - 13.49 m/tonne FCA Novopolotsk, excluding VAT.
The negotiation for export prices are scheduled on May, 17.
MRC
April output of HDPE in Russia dropped by 14%
MOSCOW (MRC) -- In April, Russian producers reduced their production volumes of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) by 14% from March to 76,000 tonnes, according to MRC ScanPlast.
The decline in the output was caused by the switch of Nizhnekamskneftekhim to the production of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) in April.
In April, all Russian HDPE producers virtually kept the March level of capacity utilization with the only exception being Gazprom neftekhim Salavat, which increased its production by 21%.
Over the past four months of the year, the total output of HDPE in Russia amounted to 341,000 tonnes.
MRC
German chemical production slightly down but industry group sees growth
MOSCOW (MRC) --Production of Germany's chemical industry declined slightly in the first quarter, Verband der Chemischen Industrie said Wednesday, but the industry group confirmed its guidance of growth in the full year, according to The Wall Street Journal.
"The economic environment remains difficult," said VCI President Karl-Ludwig Kley.
Production was 0.7% lower than a year earlier in the first quarter, but revenue rose 0.5% to 45.8 billion euros (USD59.1 billion) due to a 1.1% increase in producer prices.
"The year 2013 started for the chemical industry without the trend reversal it had hoped for," but executives are confident that there will be growth in the coming months, said the association in a press release.
VCI continues to expect production to rise 1.5% this year and revenue to increase 2% to EUR190 billion amid a 0.5% increase in prices.
We remind that, as MRC reported earlier, in the forth quarter of 2102 chemicals producers in Germany were facing an uphill battle to compensate sluggish business in Europe which was in the grip of a protracted sovereign debt crisis. Germany's export-oriented chemical companies were forced to decrease their output levels as the eurozone debt crisis sees demand steadily declining in many nations of the 17-member single-currency bloc.
MRC