Little movement on the market in general / Minor corrections at best / Mostly business as usual / Despite slight rise in costs, no incentive for hikes in July

The European market for engineering thermoplastics was predominantly calm in June. Only styrenic copolymers saw a small increase, which was the result of the rise in the cost of SM. For the remaining materials covered in this report, including PP compounds, whatever movement there was tended to be minor in scope. While the price of speciality grades tended to rise, the recent wave of imports led to some skirmishes over the price of PA 6 material located at the lower end of the PIE range. Supply and demand tended to be well balanced, even though the earlier expectations of strong order activity in the long working month of June proved correct.

Following the recent rise in costs, many producers will be seeking small price hikes in July. Their efforts remain rather half-hearted, however, not least since the impulses from the cost front are not yet pressing. Apart from that, the summer holiday-related dip in demand is also working against them. As a result, the engineering thermoplastics front will likely remain mostly calm in July, with potential slight declines for some grades.

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