ICIS Launches Weekly Report on US Styrene Margins

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Dec 03, 2012, 01:13 ET

SINGAPORE, December 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

ICIS, a trusted provider of global petrochemical market pricing information, has expanded its suite of margin reports by launching a weekly report on the US styrene market.

The ICIS Styrene US Margin report provides crucial information about various market factors, including feedstock prices and business cash costs, giving companies a better understanding of market dynamics.

The volatile nature of the US styrene market underlines the benefits of a weekly report tracking variable costs and margins. The price of feedstock benzene reached record levels in the US in November, and industry players are suggesting that prices could remain high through the rest of the year. With the increased benzene costs putting pressure on margins, producers are seeking higher styrene prices. Some sources have even suggested that, in the midst of poor styrene demand, styrene producers may try to sell benzene to capitalise on the high benzene prices.

The ICIS Styrene US Margin report provides an indication of where margins are heading, and can guide the business decisions of buyers, producers and traders of styrene and its derivatives. The main styrene derivatives are polystyrene, synthetic rubbers and unsaturated polyester resins.

The report covers integrated styrene production, using naphtha and benzene feedstocks, and standalone (or non-integrated) styrene production, from ethylene and benzene feedstocks.

Paul Ray, Head of Data and Analytics at ICIS, said: "Behind every market price there is a critical business cost and margin analysis. The US Styrene Margin report is a simple reference for weekly movements on costs and margins for integrated and standalone producers. It enables a transparent view of how the external business environment impacts this sector and helps companies understand and communicate market dynamics and business decisions. The clear methodology used for this report allows for informed, independent referencing of variable costs and margins."

The methodology uses models for contract prices and spot prices, and is based on ICIS's benchmark price assessments, as well as plant manufacturing and feedstock yield data provided by Linde Engineering. This gives industry players an authoritative and independent measure of variable styrene costs and margins.

Click here to request a sample copy of the ICIS Styrene US Margin report

About ICIS:

ICIS is the world's largest petrochemical market information provider, and has fast-growing energy and fertilizer divisions. Our aim is to give companies in global commodities markets a competitive advantage by delivering trusted pricing data, high-value news, analysis and independent consulting, enabling them to make better-informed trading and planning decisions.

With a global staff of more than 700, ICIS has people based in Houston, Washington, New York, London, Montpellier, Dusseldorf, Milan, Mumbai, Singapore, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Yantai, Tokyo and Perth. The team covers over 180 commodity markets and has in-depth knowledge across markets in upstream and downstream sectors in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and the Americas. ICIS is part of Reed Business Information.