Paraffinic Prices Drip in January, Rise in March, Naphthenic rices Up in March

摘要

Paraffinic base oil posted prices dropped in January, as full supply — particularly in light grades — and seasonally slow demand over the fourth quarter encouraged heavy discounting and some use of temporary voluntary allowances. Motiva announced posted price decreases effective January 10, reducing Group II light- and mid-viscosity grades by 25 cents/gallon and taking a drop of 30 cents/gallon on its heavy grade product. This announcement surprised some market participants, although there was a generalized expectation by most players that price reductions would enter the market in January or February.