Engineering Thermoplastics October 2013: ABS and POM drift down / Other types predominantly stable / Downward pressure mounts due to drop in benzene price / C4 costs and rugged demand should counteract this development

摘要

After a long standstill, the European market for engineering thermoplastics showed signs of movement again in October. That ABS reacted to the heavy fall in the styrene contract for October is not surprising. Producers were forced to pass on around half the reduction in the cost of the material's main component (for details, see the latest styrenics report). The price of POM also declined as the constant influx of cheap Asian imports took its toll, especially with the standard copolymer grades. Other products, such as PC and the polyam-ides, remained stable despite the fall in the price of benzene, although they certainly came under pressure. As many contracts are tied to C3, PP compounds remained stable (for details, see the latest PP report).