INTERACTIVE: Global July IPEX down as US aromatics fall sharply

LONDON (ICIS)–Here are the July IPEX values and details of the major commodity petrochemical and polymer contract and average spot price movements for the month.

IPEX	IPEX Value	June to July change
Global	278.59	-0.89%
US	269.71	-1.37%
Northwest Europe	320.46	-0.24%
Northeast Asia	266.43	-0.94%
Major price rises in July
Commodity	Region	Month on month rise
Methanol	Northwest Europe	10.46%
Benzene	Northwest Europe	5.07%
Ethylene	US	4.72%
Major price falls in July
Commodity	Region	Month on month fall
Toluene	US	-6.77%
Benzene	US	-5.02%
Polystyrene	Northeast Asia	-4.93%

– Sharp price rises for European methanol and benzene in July failed to offset falls in US benzene and toluene.

– US toluene fell during July as gasoline demand stabilised, refinery rates trended up and supply improved.

– Prices for NWE methanol rose the most sharply during July on the back of plant turnarounds and logistical delays.

The index values are subject to change as contract prices settle. The following monthly contract prices for July are yet to settle – US paraxylene and styrene.

Additional reporting by Tracy Dang and Niall Swan

Global and regional IPEX data are available here
The ICIS Petrochemical Index methodology is available here

The ICIS petrochemical index tracks the movement of 12 major petrochemicals and polymers: ethylene, propylene, butadiene, benzene, toluene, paraxylene (PX), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), styrene, polystyrene (PS), methanol and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with the regional indexes weighted by capacity.