Polymer Prices World Regions

China Standard Thermoplastics March/April 2013: Market mostly stable / Feedstock prices soft / Local manufacturers cut polymer notations to move volumes / No signs of an imminent revival

Russia March 2013: Notations mostly point down in final month of Q1 / LDPE proves the exception as film season gets underway / PVC and PET treading water / Mixed start to Q2

North America March 2013: Producers manage to hike PE notations / January price escapade cripples PE sales as notations continue to fall / PVC drive starts to slow / PS still stable / Engineering thermoplastics continue to tread water

China Engineering Thermoplastics February/March 2013: Feedstock prices down post-Chinese new year / Plans to hike ABS prices / PC also rising / Little movement for polyamides, PBT and POM

China Standard Thermoplastics February/March 2013: Production slowly returns to normal following New Year holidays / Feedstock and polymer notations weak / Widely expected post-holiday run fails to materialise / Highly dependent on styrene imports

Russia February 2013: All grades aside from HDPE and PP post slight gains / GPPS sees largest increase / Processing season slowly gets underway / March could see additional hikes

North America February 2013: PE moving sideways / PP contracts continue to rise despite spot market turnaround / PVC pointing upwards / PS receding again / Engineering thermoplastics mostly subdued despite cost pressure

China Engineering Thermoplastics January/February 2013: Feedstock prices see moderate rises ahead of lunar new year break / PC largely stable / ABS slightly up / Introducing PIE's latest China price report

China Standard Thermoplastics January/February 2013: Sector at standstill as country celebrates lunar new year / C2 and C3 notations rising / Calls for higher prices once holiday period ends / Consumption expected to rebound in Year of the Snake

Russia January 2013: Holiday season puts brake on polymer markets / Very little movement in either direction / Only HIPS, PVC and PET up slightly / Calls for February hikes could be quashed by poor demand

North America January 2013: Polyethylene prices rise considerably / Polypropylene notations explode / Benzene drives styrenics higher / PVC firm / Polycarbonate prices start to wobble / All quiet on the polyamide front

North America: Propylene contract notations rising rapidly / PP spot prices follow the upward trend

China December 2012 / January 2013: Twin hikes for feedstocks and thermoplastics / PS notations set new record / Last push before two-week Chinese New Year hiatus / Petrochemical sector's pre-tax profit down 8% year-on-year over first 10 months of 2011

Russia December 2012: Polymer notations drop as 2012 ends / Only PET bucks the trend / LDPE in oversupply / January expected to see rises as processors restock / Government lifts LLDPE import duties

North America December 2012: Polyethylene still stable / PP tends upward / PVC and PS take a breather / January cost hikes drive producers‘ calls / Engineering thermoplastics‘ demand still poor

China November/December 2012: Mostly quiet on the polymer front / Market unsupportive of price hikes / Feedstocks appear to be rising again / Producers plan to cut output to raise prices

Russia November 2012: Market bids do svidaniya to high-price phase / Only GPPS and imported PET buck the trend / PVC sees biggest losses / 2012 expected to end on a stable note

North America November 2012: Polyethylene prices tending down / PP on the rise / PVC drive comes to a halt / Benzene pushes polystyrene up / Engineering thermoplastics stagnant despite high costs

China October/November 2012: Domestic polyolefin notations ease off / Moderate gains for imports / Polystyrene charts its own upward path / Demand from the internal market still slack

Russia October 2012: Winter chill brings notations down / HDPE recedes from its lofty heights / PS and PVC buck the trend / All signs point to further declines

North America October 2012: Polyethylene prices float sideways / PP and PVC continue to climb / PS makes another u-turn towards higher spheres / Subdued engineering thermoplastics market

China September/October 2012: Olefins up slightly / High ambitions of Chinese polymer suppliers dampened by sluggish demand / Subdued prospects

Russia September 2012: Notations for tight HDPE go through the roof / Limited availability also drives PS and PVC prices higher / LDPE, PP and PET in weak rollover / PS and PVC likely to continue rising in October

North America September 2012: Polyethylene prices stagnate amid weak market / Producers raise PP prices slightly / PVC also rising / PS notations topple / Engineering thermoplastics still under pressure

China August/September 2012: Feedstock prices rise / Polymers follow suit / July ethylene output down / More than 13m t of resin imported this year so far