Most customers have preferred booking January deliveries, suppliers have told Chem-Courier this week. According to traders, clients have been ordering both large lots of several hundred tonnes and small ones of under 24 t delivered on pallets. "Although we had not done so in the past, we decided to sell products in small batches of up to 24 t to get rid of stocks. Manufacturers of finished plastic products that do not have a financial cushion to buy raw materials several months in advance want to purchase smaller quantities due to a shorter working month, so we are making concessions" a trader has said.
A surplus of film HDPE and a shortage of random PP copolymers have been seen in the market. Besides, market players have reported ample availability of foreign goods in the country, which have been much cheaper than European ones.
Spot market prices for European HDPE, LLDPE and PP have been unchanged, while LDPE ones have lost €20/t this week. Some traders have reportedly been selling polyolefins with minimal or even zero margin.
Demand for polyolefins is likely to be slack next week as everyone who needed raw materials already bought them earlier this month. Traders will continue to offer commodities at discounted prices to destock. Prices are expected to run flat in January. PE and PP availability may decrease early next year due to plant shutdowns.
