Polymer Prices Standard Thermoplastics

Standard Thermoplastics Trend July 2008: Q3 ethylene price propels polyolefins and PVC upward / PS and EPS point sharply upward on tight styrene / Supply balanced to tight / Slack demand / Proposed price hikes likely to grip

Standard thermoplastics in June 2008: Second quarter closes with dramatic cost bang / Supplies of some polymers short due to plant outages and capacity cutbacks / Steep rises announced

Standard thermoplastics at the beginning of June 2008: Cost explosion in oil and derivatives makes an impact / PE climbs strongly due to stockpiling / PP does about-turn to move up / PVC relatively weak / PS and EPS take off

Standard Thermoplastics in May 2008: Polyolefins weaken further / Only EVA up slightly / PVC slips very slightly / Styrenics margins down / High cost of naphtha fuels producer price drive

Standard thermoplastics at the beginning of May 2008: Downwind has slackened / Oversupply gradually draining away / Demand mostly normal / Calls for increases either stabilise or drive prices up

Standard Thermoplastics in April 2008: Most notations point downward / Oversupply begins to bite / Demand mostly normal / “Short” business month could limit price hikes in May

LyondellBasell resigns from plastics committee

Standard thermoplastics in April 2008: Polyolefins flagging / Upturn for PVC / PS down but margins improve / EPS in rollover / Weather dampens seasonal demand / Plant outages have little effect / April still has potential for upswing

Standard thermoplastics in March 2008: Market lacks direction / PE upswing brought to a halt / PP crumbles / PVC stable / PS moves up but margins erode / Slight recovery for EPS / Hopes for strong April

Standard thermoplastics at the beginning of March 2008: Turnaround or correction? / Most producers reduce planned hikes / Tendency to oversupply starts to pressure polyolefins / PVC largely stable / Monomer rise influences PS and EPS

Standard thermoplastics in February 2008: Buyers' resistance and special offers block hefty hikes for polyolefins / PVC up slightly, PS and EPS significantly higher / PP long / EPS tight / Naphtha surge fuels polymer upswing

Standard thermoplastics at the beginning of February 2008: Slow ordering keeps producer price increases in check / Polyolefins catch up with monomer rises / PVC slightly, PS and EPS significantly higher / Producers' inventories start to swell

Standard thermoplastics in January 2008: Price explosion for polyolefins / PVC stable / Styrenics also up / PE just balanced / Cracker situation unstable / Speculative trading brakes PP / PS tightening? / Further hefty hikes on the table

Strong demand tightens hexene grades of LLDPE / Price curve increasingly uncoupled from standard product / C6 to be reported separately in PIE

Standard thermoplastics at the beginning of January 2008: Major increases for PE and EVA / Monomer increases up the pressure / PP and styrenics also rise / PVC still stable / Supply relatively well balanced / Demand normal

EPS price rise is higher than expected

Standard thermoplastics in December 2007: No year-end “close-out sale” / Prices mainly firm / Minor corrections at each end of the scale / Advance purchases stemmed / Higher feedstocks prompt calls for steep polymer hikes

Standard thermoplastics at the beginning of December 2007: Prices predominantly firm / Producers put an end to advance purchases / Buyers who have not yet signed contracts still negotiating / Announcements of large increases for January

Higher prices for EPS in January and February

Standard thermoplastics in November: Polyolefins and PVC drop slightly / PS follows SM downward / EPS now at rock bottom / Record feedstock prices drive advance purchases / Producers also call for rises at year-end

Standard thermoplastics at the beginning of November 2007: No major price slump / Rollover talk for polyolefins and PS subsides / EVA still climbing / PVC stable / EPS could bottom out soon

Standard thermoplastics in October: Calls for price hikes fall on deaf ears / Polyolefins in weak rollover / PVC stable / Styrenics slip back again / Price spiral pointing predominantly downward

Standard thermoplastics at the beginning of October: Calls for increases prove unrealistic / Polyolefins development uneven / PVC stable / PS and EPS slide further / Supply predominantly good / Demand mostly slack

Standard thermoplastics in September: Slacker demand undermines calls for significant rises / Upward trend sluggish for polyolefins and PVC / Styrenics move down with monomer contract / Implementation of further hikes appears doubtful

Standard thermoplastics at the beginning of September: Most polyolefins rise only slightly / Demand slows / PVC clearly on the way up / PS crumbles under renewed fall in styrene monomer contract / EPS numbers starting to bottom out?