Ethane Margins Expected To Struggle For Next Five Months

摘要

After gaining some strength at the start of 2013, Mont Belvieu ethane margins once again turned negative last week following strong increases in natural gas prices due to increased heating demand. As we reported in the last issue, there was a sudden cold front in the northern portion of the U.S. emanating from the Arctic that caused heating demand to climb quickly. This resulted in a 7% in- crease in natural gas prices at Conway to $3.40 per million Btu (/ MMBtu) and a 6% increase at Mont Belvieu to $3.38/MMBtu.