Arbitrage window to North America wide open for Asian benzene

摘要

Benzene spot prices in the United States leaped almost 10%, to an average of $5.30/gal, during the week ended 16 January, pushing the arbitrage window wide open to Asian producers, say analysts at IHS Chemical. "Benzene for prompt delivery became tight, and it became apparent that sellers had shorted the market thinking that spot benzene for January would be lower than contract," they say in IHS Chemical's Market Advisory Service: Aromatics Weekly.