Amidst Moderate demand, Nonylphenol Ethoxylates Prices Witness Stagnancy in Late April 2024

Hamburg, Germany: In recent weeks, prices of Nonylphenol Ethoxylates in Europe have encountered stagnancy, driven by moderate demand. Tighter financing conditions and weakening domestic demand have resulted in a slowdown of business activity for Nonylphenol Ethoxylates over the past quarters. This deceleration has been further exacerbated by persistent inflationary pressures, which have eroded consumers' purchasing power, leading to reduced purchases from downstream industries such as surfactants and detergents.

According to data from the ChemAnalyst database, Nonylphenol Ethoxylates prices were settled at USD 2480 per ton in the week ending April 19th. Market transactions for Nonylphenol Ethoxylates have also not witnessed any major improvement across the domestic region. As per market sources, despite a decrease in inflation during the first quarter of 2024, the majority of European consumers have still been modifying their buying patterns due to elevated prices, pressuring the market sentiments of Nonylphenol Ethoxylates. Despite a slight improvement in manufacturing activities in the German market, current European consumption of Nonylphenol Ethoxylates remains below last year's average, indicating a slower recovery. The energy-intensive industry sector in Germany has also shown minimal signs of recovery, remaining largely stagnant throughout the year. However, major restarts in Europe are not expected before 2025 unless there is an unexpected surge in demand in the region.

On the other hand, the prices of Nonylphenol Ethoxylates have also witnessed a stable trend in the domestic market of China. Inquiries from the downstream surfactant and detergent sector were moderate; as a result, Nonylphenol Ethoxylates manufacturers have maintained prices at their previous levels. The cost support from upstream Ethylene Oxide was also limited as its prices have also remained stagnant for the past few weeks. The latest Petroleum Status Report by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has indicated a decrease in crude oil inventories for the week ending April 19. This decline suggests a potential tightening of supply in the US market. However, U.S. oil prices, currently below this year's peak of USD 87.62, surged due to fears of an Iran-Israel war. However, tensions have eased as both sides show no interest in further conflict after limited strikes.

Looking ahead, ChemAnalyst's pricing intelligence suggests that Nonylphenol Ethoxylates prices are expected to increase in the German market due to an improvement in demand from the downstream surfactant and detergent industries. Market players are also facing supply-side pressures amidst reduced operating rates of manufacturing firms. However, the reduction in natural gas prices, coupled with above-average, is likely to alleviate the pressure from the manufacturing costs of Nonylphenol Ethoxylates in the coming weeks.