By Malini Hariharan
Asian naphtha prices, which were expected to remain firm this quarter, have come under pressure as large volumes of European material are heading towards this region.
Naphtha was trading at around $885/tonne cfr Japan last evening supported only by the strength in crude oil prices with WTI at $91.69/bbl and Brent at $98/bbl.
But with nearly 600,000 tonnes of product on its way from Europe naphtha premiums have slipped and could fall further, traders told Felicia Loo, ICIS pricing editor for naphtha.
Europe has been able to move large volumes because of poor demand as some crackers switched to liquefied petroleum gas. Poor economics for gasoline blending have added to the problem.
In petrochemicals, ethylene and propylene prices have been stable this week but benzene has moved up, led by price hikes in the US and Europe and supported by crude oil.
Prices have hit a 28-month high of $1,120-1,130/tonne fob Korea, a level last seen in early September 2008.
