Standard thermoplastics in July 2011: All prices slip, but only LDPE, LLDPE and PP below the cost reduction / HDPE margins improve minimally/ Restocking stimulates / August monomer rises trigger price hike plans

摘要

Contract buyers of west European standard thermoplastics generally won only price concessions in line with feedstock declines in July. Producers' attempts to retain some of the price relief of EUR 95/t for ethylene (C2), EUR 75/t for propylene (C3) and EUR 95/t for styrene monomer (SM) mostly ran afoul of long supply. LDPE and LLDPE dropped the most sharply, ceding up to EUR 110/t. HDPE rebates were closer to the monomer slide, enabling producers to hang on to their slim margins. Some even secured a slight improvement for tight injection moulding (down EUR 75/t) and blow moulding grades (down EUR 80/t). PP producers had to concede substantially more than the cost reduction, giving up asr much as EUR 95/t. Major concessions also were inevitable fo PVC. PS and EPS prices came down by triple-digit margins.