In April, the o-xylene market flashed a combination of price fluctuation in the USA and Germany, influenced by changes in feedstock naphtha values, variations in demand on the downstream side, and changes in supply.
o-Xylene prices in the USA opened the month with unchanged prices, stable production levels, and supplies at the beginning of the month. Naphtha prices, the feedstock for o-Xylene, climbed steadily during the first week of April, but producers decided to keep production steady. Demand improved from the downstream phthalic anhydride (PA) industry, with twice, the amount of o-xylene being consumed by the end-use sectors of plasticizers and resins but the increase in demand was met by ample supply and was not enough to impact prices of o-xylene.
By the second week of April, the o-xylene price declined by x.xx to USD xxx/MT FOB Texas, primarily due...
