US benzene margins weaken as toluene and higher-quality MX strengthen

摘要

TDP and Mobil Selective TDP(MSTDP)margins sank into negative territory after US toluene prices gained over 24% since early Jan., with barge assessments reaching $2.63/gal in the third week of March. Toluene prices are not expected to lose any ground since the fire at Intercontinental Terminals Co.'s Deer Park(Texas)tank farm resulted in the loss of around 80K bbl of the product. Robust regrade values helped bring toluene's blend value to nearly $2.665/gal around March 20.