Market remains stable at high level / ABS and PP compounds move up / Dark clouds hang over PA 6.6 again / Storm continues / POM under upward pressure

In many segments, the European market for engineering thermoplastics was relatively calm in June. After the frequent price hikes of the last few months, this came as a welcome breather, albeit at a high level. Nevertheless, the atmosphere was still characterised by some difficult pre-negotiations for the coming quarter. On the PA 6.6 market, the renewed force majeure at BASF put an end to hopes of any easing of the situation. Buyers continued to be under extreme stress as they tried to get hold of material and at the same time keep an eye open for alternatives.

This situation provided a certain amount of support for the PP compound notations, for which demand was surprisingly high. Here, the increased production by automotive OEMs ahead of their extended summer shutdowns provided a boost to demand. The prices of the other commodity-driven material, ABS, also rose due to the increase in costs.

In July, PA 6.6 in particular will face difficult times. Producers have already called for hikes of up to EUR 600/t, and increases are unlikely to be lower than three digits in the monthly transactions. There are also indications that POM will rise as the production problems continue. With PMMA, prices could fall for the first time in many months, and the quarterly negotiations are certainly pointing downwards. ABS should ease as the costs of styrene and butadiene have fallen. PP is tending sideways like the other engineering thermoplastics. With PC, PA 6 and PBT, the situation appears stable, although prices are still high.

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