Whichever regional Methanol markets you work in, ICIS offers the thorough pricing information you need to operate with confidence.
Our insights into regional Methanol markets are provided by our network of reporters based locally in those markets.
Updated to Q4 2018
US methanol exports began to exceed imports on a monthly basis in 2018. The milestone began in June, skipped July and then continued in three of the next four months, prompted by the start-up of the new plant in Texas. The steady growth of US domestic methanol supply has brought a decline in imports from long-time American methanol source, Trinidad & Tobago.
North American methanol contract and spot prices dropped as expected in the final months of 2018, with new US capacity at the new 1.8m tonne/year OCI Natgasoline in Texas having some impact. But the bigger drag on methanol spot and contract prices came from sinking oil values that started down in October. Demand remained steady, but crude prices dropped almost 40% in the last three months of the year, pulling methanol contracts and spot prices down.
We offer the following regional Methanol analysis and news coverage to keep you informed of factors and developments affecting prices in the US Methanol marketplace.
More information about the price reports we publish on Methanol
Independent price assessments and market coverage by region
More information about the historical price data we publish on Methanol
Track historical price data
News & market analysis specifically relating to Methanol
Breaking news of latest developments affecting the markets.
Insight and analysis of factors driving prices.
ICIS launches Global Methanol Markets General Methodology Consultation more >>
ICIS price assessments are based on information gathered from a wide cross-section of the market, comprising consumers, producers, traders and distributors from more than 250 reporters world-wide. Confirmed deals, verified by both buyer and seller, provide the foundation of our price assessments.
Our in-depth market knowledge drives our specialist focus, as we recognise the importance of individual market dynamics and not a one-size-fits-all approach.
Over 25 years of reporting on key chemicals markets, including Methanol, has brought global recognition of our methodology as being unbiased, authoritative and rigorous in preserving our editorial integrity. Our global network of reporters in Houston, London, Singapore, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Mumbai, Perth and Moscow ensures unrivalled coverage of established and emerging markets.
Methanol Methodology
Methanol is primarily used to produce formaldehyde, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and acetic acid, with smaller amounts going into the manufacture of DMT, MMA, chloromethanes, methylamines, glycol methyl ethers and fuels.
The ICIS US Gulf (USG) methanol report is a weekly report that contains the monthly contract price in cents per gallon, which is then converted to dollars per tonne.
The report has the latest spot barge prices in cents per gallon and converted to dollars per tonne. The spot barge prices are broken down into the price range for the week and the latest prices we have for the end of the week.
These prices are reported to us each week by buyers and sellers. The report often contains the latest price for natural gas, which is the major feedstock, and includes plant news, including reports on plants and projects in Europe.
The ICIS report is invaluable to customers being a benchmark report that offers exclusive methanol prices, news and analysis that can not be found else.
ICIS collects pricing data on a wide range of chemical, energy and fertilizer products, including Methanol. Our extensive experience in price reporting means we can offer you access to historical data dating back more than 20 years for certain commodities.
Our time series of pricing data enables you to build and model trends, to get a view of where markets might be heading. The data service includes charting functionality, allowing you to chart and download multiple data series for manipulation in your own internal models. You can also export data to Excel via the ICIS dashboard service.
Methanol
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