For the Quarter Ending March 2024
North America
The first quarter of 2024 has been challenging for the Polyetheramine market in North America, with prices experiencing downward fluctuations. Several factors have influenced market prices during this period. In general, the market has faced downward pressure due to sluggish purchasing activity throughout the region, offsetting the impacts of upstream price increases.
Chinese traders have lowered their offers for Polyetheramine due to low purchases, considering the market closure in February for the Lunar New Year. Additionally, delays from Asian exporters and disruptions in the supply chain have affected supply rates, further dampening prices. The USA, in particular, has seen the maximum price changes in the Polyetheramine market.
Prices have shown a downward trajectory due to limited product consumption from downstream enterprises and weak market trades. The market sentiment has been bearish, with low demand and sufficient product availability. Looking at the overall trend, it can be observed that the Polyetheramine market has been in a negative pricing environment in the first quarter of 2024. Prices have decreased compared to the same quarter last year, reflecting the challenging market conditions. The price of Polyetheramine in the USA was USD 3000/MT CFR Houston. The pricing environment has been negative, with downward pressure on prices due to sluggish demand, ample supply, and disruptions in the supply chain.
APAC
The first quarter of 2024 has been a challenging period for Polyetheramine pricing in the APAC region. The market has been primarily influenced by factors such as weak demand from downstream industries, high supply levels, and limited trading activities. These factors have led to a bearish market sentiment, with prices experiencing a decline. In China, which has seen the maximum price changes, the market trend has been negative. Weak demand from the adhesive and polyurethane sectors has contributed to the decline in prices. Additionally, the presence of high inventory levels and limited trading activities have further dampened market sentiment. Overall, the pricing environment for Polyetheramine in the APAC region has been bearish. The market has been characterized by high supply levels and low demand, leading to a decline in prices. Looking at the price changes from the previous quarter in 2024, prices have decreased by a significant percentage. This further confirms the negative trend in the market. The price of Polyetheramine FOB Shanghai in China was USD 2530/MT during March 2024. The pricing environment for Polyetheramine in the APAC region has been negative, with prices experiencing a decline due to weak demand and high supply levels.
Europe
The decline in feedstock Ethylene Oxide availability and unfavorable trading conditions have led to a significant downturn in Polyetheramine prices this quarter. This downturn has particularly impacted the manufacturing sector in the Netherlands, resulting in a contraction in Polyetheramine demand. To address this, production units are adopting a cautious approach to align with downstream requirements. This situation reflects broader overcapacity issues across petrochemical value chains, highlighting Europe's competitiveness challenges in the Polyetheramine market. In response to the market conditions, several companies have reduced production rates to avoid excessive stockpiling. Despite these cuts, the supply of Polyetheramine in the Netherlands remains sufficient, keeping pricing relatively flat. Exporters, however, are hesitant to initiate a price uptrend for both domestic and overseas markets. This subdued demand can be attributed to persistently high borrowing costs and weak spot market purchases. Moreover, exports of Polyetheramine within the European region have been constrained due to the slow recovery of the downstream market. This has further contributed to the overall downward price trajectory.
For the Quarter Ending December 2023
North America
In Q4 2023, prices of Polyetheramine showed a downward trajectory due to limited product consumption from the downstream enterprises and feeble market trades. Weak market sentiments along with sufficient product availability affected the prices trend in the European market. In the USA, the price trend of Polyetheramine also showcased feeble market dynamics along with weak market fundamentals. Slow demand growth and limited market support are highlighting an uncertain outlook for the Paraformaldehyde market this week.
The regional's Polyetheramine market struggles with sufficient supply in 2023, with weaker regional export demand and a bearish market expected to offset local demand. In Dec 2023, the price of Polyetheramine in the USA declined to USD 2920/ton CFR Houston. The price of Polyetheramine in the USA market will reduce further as deterred demand for the new stock hampered the prices. Polyetheramine contract prices also decreased, coupled with lull demand, global bearishness, and softening in the downstream Automotive market, plummeting any expectation for the elevation in the new car sales.
Asia Pacific
This quarter, the price of Polyetheramine in China remains sluggish with low market fundamentals and limited demand for the fresh stocks. A weak pattern in China’s costs was accompanied by poor trading activities and inadequate product accessibility. A cautious decrease in market sentiment can be attributed to an increase in inventory and a decline in demand. The cost support from the downstream enterprises remains limited with cautiously operating downstream ventures. Regional players have been providing up their Dec 2023 Polyetheramine mostly with stabilized on the weaker side. Nevertheless, exports of Polyetheramine from China to India traded weak this quarter due to sufficient inventory level and limited overseas trading activities. To prevent further stockpiling, end producers run their plants at lower rates in the face of declining costs and disintegrating demand. As a result, the demand of Polyetheramine downstream Automotive industry remains impacted, and end users are reluctant to buy the product on the need-to basis. Sentiment in the regional markets remained pressured by slow buying activities and sluggish market sentiments. Regional suppliers also decreased prices due to limited demand and lower bidding for the new stock.
Europe
The demand fundamentals of Polyetheramine in Germany declined with the limited trades and sluggish trade volumes among the significant production units. Exports of Polyetheramine from Germany to other European region remain moderate and the trades were mainly on the need-to basis. Some suppliers nearly halved their overall capacity via lower rates at several plants to accomplish supply management at a time when demand considerably shrank. Still, their margins are under pressure during Q4 2023. In the downstream lubricant and fuel additive businesses, Germany faced sluggish demand and bearish market concerns. A decline in trade among providers prompted a decline in Polyetheramine costs on the European market. Germany’s exports to the Asian market displayed sluggish market trades, which are attributed to the base effect following rather limited trade volumes recorded in respective period. Feeble demand dynamics forced the producers to trade their cargo at attractive offers with the hope of continuous inventory utilization. However, suppliers struggled to trade the bulk cargos and were observed to trade Polyetheramine at low level.
For the Quarter Ending September 2023
North America
In Q3 2023, the purchasing activities of Polyetheramine in the North American market witnessed a sluggish market trend in the wake of limited demand fundamentals and lower bids and offers for fresh stocks. With diminishing product demand from downstream firms, US Polyetheramine prices continued to demonstrate a bearish price trend. In terms of feedstock markets, the price trend for upstream Propylene oxide and Amine remains weak, and the region's Polyetheramine production cost has decreased. Producers were forced to lower regional product prices for their downstream market players due to surplus product inventories and weaker bids and offers among suppliers. Polyetheramine shipments from the overseas market to the USA remain on the lower end, with moderate demand among the suppliers. In Aug 2023, the price of Polyetheramine in the USA declined to USD 3020/ton CFR Houston. However, towards the end of the quarter, the price trend of Polyetheramine witnessed a bullish price trend due to high purchasing activities and low inventories among the significant manufacturing units.
Asia Pacific
When compared with the previous quarter, the price trend of Polyetheramine remains uptrend amid healthy product consumption from the downstream enterprises and an increase in exports of the commodity from China to other Asian markets. Polyetheramine prices started to gain stance after following a bearish price trend from the past few months. Markets continued to follow an uptrend this quarter as rising costs, the spillover impact from firmer Asian markets, and easing stock pressure on import sellers underpinned Polyetheramine markets. Fueling the bullish scene were additional price hikes from the local producer, which bolstered Polyetheramine activity the most. However, the price trend is still on the lower end in the wake of sufficient product stocks in the region. In July 2023, the price of Polyetheramine in China surged to USD 3010/ton FOB Shanghai. However, in Aug 2023, the price trend of Polyetheramine in China declined because of excessive product inventories and weaker bids and offers among suppliers; producers were obliged to drop regional product prices for their downstream market participants. Polyetheramine exports from China to the rest of Asia have fallen due to purchasers reducing their current supplies.
Europe
In Q3 2023, the price trend of Polyetheramine in the European market remains bearish under the influence of limited market trades and lull trades from the end-user market. Since Polyetheramine was sufficiently available in the region, trading in the German market slumped as weak market fundamentals and lower overseas trading adversely affected the market. As a result of limited purchasing for new stock, as well as decreasing feedstock Ammonia, the price trend has continued to fall. The trading environment in the regional market was observed to be weak with stockpiling of products and demand constraints. It was heard that some of the end-user industries are struggling with excess product supply and limited demand. The limited trading activity in the domestic market for Polyetheramine is sufficient to meet demand. As inventories increased among the ports, trade from Germany to other European regions declined, and the trades were held on an immediate basis. Prices in Germany have fallen to new lows due to the lackluster demand for an upstream market with sluggish trading fundamentals among the buyers.
For the Quarter Ending June 2023
North America
In Q2 2023, the price of Polyetheramine in North America plummeted in successive months. When compared with the previous quarter, the prices remain on the lower end in Q2 2023. The Polyetheramine market was seen to be on the lower end as adhesive and sealant ventures' interest brought about frail expense support. The feedstock Ammonia market was additionally frail on top of feeble energy values and high inventories among the essential makers. Trading exercises in the USA market stayed bearish because of satisfactory supplies and feeble market basics for the new stocks. Imports of Polyetheramine from Canada to the USA drooped with a cautious stance from the critical manufacturing units regarding an additional increment of inventories. US participants attributed the weaker market dynamics due to low product demand and comfortable availability. Market participation in purchasing the cargo from the overseas market in bulk declined, increasing the product inventories among the manufacturing units. In June 2023, the price of Polyetheramine in the US declined to USD 3152/ton CFR Houston.
Asia Pacific
In Q2 2023, the Polyetheramine market slumped in the wake of low-demand fundamentals and a gradual increase in product inventory. Exports of Polyetheramine from China to other Asian regions stay adequate, bringing about an accumulation of inventories among the ports. In China, run rate cuts have been applied across the production chain as cracker operators have additionally been bringing their operating rates down to avoid the slide in monomer costs. In June 2023, the Dragon Boat Festival also contributed to a slump in market trading activities, and limited trading fundamentals remain the primary reason for weak market fundamentals. In June 2023, the price of Polyetheramine in China declined to USD 2984/ton FOB Shanghai. The demand for Polyetheramine in the adhesive and sealant industry remained impacted with sufficient stocks at the manufacturing units. The demand for Polyetheramine in the international market was deterred, due to which prices slid across the globe. Stock levels in the domestic market stayed ample and local producers have reduced operating rates to minimize margin loss given the persistent demand slump.
Europe
In Q2 2023, the Polyetheramine market remained lackluster, with limited bids and offers for fresh stocks in the European market. In Germany, market participants were less keen to purchase the cargo in bulk, which brought low trading volume and even lower prices for feedstock Ammonia prices. Polyetheramine surrendered another penny as traders sought further discounts amid growing domestic stockpiles and declining purchasing interest. While demand remains weak, the manufacturing units continue to act cautiously with purchases and prioritize reducing inventories as the trajectory of the European economy remains uncertain. The demand remained unresponsive to the talks about stabilization, and uncertainties about the costs side linger. The declining trade offers in the European region drove cautious optimism on the part of sellers. The cost of feedstock Ammonia tumbled this quarter with weak market basics and lower offerings for the new stocks, additionally influencing the Polyetheramine market. In terms of product supply, suppliers remain skeptical about increasing the prices for the domestic and overseas markets.
For the Quarter Ending March 2023
North America
In the US market, Polyetheramine prices showed an upward trend throughout the quarter, driven by rising upstream costs and improved performance of the downstream industries. The consistent increase in upstream Ethylene oxide and Propylene oxide prices during the quarter provided significant cost support to Polyetheramine. Additionally, downstream demand from the paints and coatings industry improved in the US market following the New Year holidays. It is worth noting that imports into the US market remained tight due to logistical issues and temporary shutdowns at key importing ports on the US West Coast. As a result, the supply dynamics of several petrochemicals, including Polyetheramine, were affected, leading to longer lead times.
APAC
During the first quarter, the prices of Polyetheramine experienced fluctuations, with prices initially increasing, then decreasing, and ultimately recovering towards the end of the quarter. The upswing in demand from the construction industry and high costs of upstream Propylene oxide and ammonia led to a surge in Polyetheramine prices in the Chinese market in January. In February, however, the prices of Polyetheramine in China declined due to inadequate upstream support and weakened demand. In March 2023, there was an upward trend in Polyetheramine prices, driven by high consumption from downstream industries. The positive price movement was caused by strong domestic demand for Polyetheramine in China and limited product availability in the market. The restricted supply from traders and inadequate supply to meet downstream industries' demand resulted in increased product costs.
Europe
The prices of Polyetheramine in Germany witnessed a decline during the first two months of the first quarter, owing to low demand and weak upstream Ethylene and Ammonia costs, as well as decreasing energy costs. However, towards the end of the quarter, the price of Polyetheramine recovered in the German market due to increased demand from other European countries and improvement in feedstocks. The demand dynamics from downstream applications such as adhesives, coatings, and other end-uses remained largely stable. It is worth noting that the European region experienced several instances of labor strikes and other issues, which led to tight logistics.
For the Quarter Ending December 2022
North America
The price movement of Polyetheramine has witnessed a drop in the quarter ending December 2022, owing to the bearish construction and coating industry demand and lower feedstock glycol costs in the North American region. The feedstock Glycols prices fluctuated due to the uncertainty in the crude oil prices throughout Q4 of 2022. The rising recessionary fears and the onset of the escalating inflationary input cost pressures reduced the domestic offtakes in the downstream sector for the product considerably. The slowed domestic demand, coupled with ample supplies amidst cheaper imports from Asia, has caused a fall in the prices in the fourth quarter of 2022. Thus, the price of Polyetheramine was assessed at USD 3634/ton in December 2022.
APAC
The price trend of Polyetheramine has shown an overall bearish market in the APAC region in the quarter ending December 2022. The fluctuating feedstock Glycols prices in the Chinese market due to the consequent reduction in the upstream cost pressure and stagnant downstream construction and coating industry demand conclusively led to lower values of the commodity. The COVID lockdown disturbances led to delays in the cargo momentum and diminished the market participation of Polyetheramine in the downstream sector in China this quarter. Meanwhile, the fear of recession in the international market adversely impacted overseas offers and shipping rates in the region and raised the domestic inventory levels. Therefore, the price of Polyetheramine was assessed at USD 3456/MT FOB Shanghai in December 2022.
Europe
Polyetheramine prices settled at lower values in the fourth Quarter of 2022 with a slump in the downstream offtakes, such as in construction and coating industries in the European region. Additionally, the lower feedstock glycols prices supported the price movement of Polyetheramine in the quarter ending December 2022. As a result of the Christmas holidays in the European region, the demand fundamentals remained sluggish, the soaring inflation and a depressed economic outlook across the regional market at the termination of this quarter. The market players remained cautious about the decreasing output and made sales at lower margins amid the fear of piling of stocks towards the end of the year and slowed purchasing customer interest in the product.