ICIS offers in-depth and insightful coverage for the fast-growing terephthalic industry.
Updated to Q4 2018
China’s PTA average operating rates during the quarter stood at around 75%, compared to 82% in the previous quarter. The country saw an estimated production loss of around 1.12m tonnes during the quarter, as a result of scheduled turnarounds. Squeezed production margins during the period have prompted several scheduled turnarounds within Asia. There was also several scheduled maintenance in South Korea, Taiwan, and in India.
Downstream polyester operating rates were lower during the quarter, as demand was slower due to a bearish global macroeconomic environment, coupled with weakening prices seen in the upstream energy markets. Buying appetite was largely kept to a need-to basis, with end users unwilling to build up inventories to mitigate inventory losses. In China, downstream operating rates were reduced to an average of 81.9%, compared to 82.1% in the previous quarter. In India, operating rates of polyester facilities were reduced to as low as 40-45%, from an average of 60-70%.
Updated to Q3 2016
In July, Chinese purified terephthalic acid (PTA) prices were weighed down by dipping upstream energy values in the crude and feedstock paraxylene (PX) chain. Prices were assessed as lower in August, tracking falls in upstream energy values, as well as bearish demand in the stock market. Buying sentiment was subdued, as downstream end-users began the shutdowns of polyester units because of the G20 conference. In September, PTA prices were overall assessed as lower, on bearish demand for spot cargoes as end-users postponed buying activities due to the upcoming week-long National Day celebrations in China.
We offer the following regional Terephthalic acid coverage to keep you informed of factors and developments affecting prices in the Asia Terephthalic acid marketplace.
Price reporting
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News & market analysis specifically relating to Terephthalic acid
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Purified terephthalic acid (PTA) is primarily used in polyester production with polyester fibre consuming a large proportion of global output.
The ICIS Asia Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) pricing report publishes daily and weekly price assessments, market news and analyses for the Asia PTA market. Whether you are a buyer, trader or seller, our pricing information gives you access to time-sensitive deals, offers/bids and price movements. Historical pricing data is also available.
The report also covers information on downstream polyester industry and an evaluation of the impact of PTA futures are also included, along with a detailed analysis of spot trading activities taken place in China – the most influential PTA market in the region.
ICIS’ online database provides a single, highly searchable source of detailed historical data as far back as 1978 and forecast data up until 2030 for terephthalic acid around the globe. The service combines fully reconciled supply/demand, trade, capacity and ownership data to give you multiple views of the market from a global, regional or country specific perspective.
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ICIS collects pricing data on a wide range of chemical, energy and fertilizer products, including Terephthalic acid. Our extensive experience in price reporting means we can offer you access to historical data dating back more than 20 years for certain commodities.
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Xylenes-Mixed xylenes
Di-isononyl phthalate
