According to market players, February proved to be quite active in terms of polyolefin purchases. - We've sold all the old stocks, but it can't be said that buyers are panicking, they are not buying excess - a market player has told Chem-Courier. The last week of this month is described by players as a week of waiting and calm, although some claim to continue selling goods, but not all products are available. - LDPE is in high demand, but inquiries for other materials are also present this week. Converters want to buy material at February prices, anticipating another cost increase in March - a Polish trader adds.
New batches of South Korean HDPE and PP are expected to arrive in early April. The US Formosa is facing production problems due to electricity shortages, and is not supplying volumes to European players.
Prices in Poland remain stable at the end of the month. The average cost of HDPE film ranged from €1,200 to €1,250/t in February, but traders claimed that it was challenging to sell goods at the higher price boundaries. LDPE film could be purchased within the range of €1,300-1,380/t. The off-grade LDPE price is at €1,195/t DDP Poland.
The price of PP block copo varies between €1,270 and €1,340/t, and the average price of PP raffia in February is €1,230-1,300/t DDP.
On Thursday, 29 February, the propylene contract price was announced. In March, C3 will be €35/t more expensive compared to February. According to unconfirmed data, the ethylene cost will increase similarly to propylene. According to market players, polyolefin manufacturers will try to raise prices even higher - PE by €100/t and PP by €70-80/t, but whether the market will accept such prices will depend on several factors, including demand and material availability. The upcoming construction and agricultural season will positively impact the level of consumer demand from these sectors.
