Standard Thermoplastics Trend February 2012: Producers improve margins / Only styrenics players fail to cover their costs /Icy winter conditions hamper production / Upward price trend likely to continue up to Easter

摘要

In the first third of February, European standard thermoplastics producers did all they could to bolster sagging margins. Suppliers of most polymers managed to pass through even more than the suspiciously high increases for ethylene, propylene and styrene ranging from EUR 90-120/t. PS producers, however, failed to push through the cost increase in full, and suppliers of EPS insulation-grade material for the building industry fared even worse. Buyers of all polymers had only minor successes in using a purchasing boycott as a weapon to limit hikes. Although the increases are not yet as big as producers would like, indications are that notations will continue to move up for the rest of the month.