POE Prices Hold Steady Amid Ethylene Tightness and Tepid Demand

Key Highlights

• Asian cracker outages tightened ethylene availability, constraining upstream feed.
• Automotive and industrial end-use orders remained subdued, mirroring mixed regional demand.
• Suppliers deployed strategic hedging and stock rotation to support flat price trajectories.
• Logistics slowdowns in China and Japan added uncertainty but did not trigger POE price spikes.

Feedstock Trend:

POE price trend

Demand Side

Global POE consumption softened as auto compounding and wire-and-cable orders showed limited growth. Japanese vehicle sales plunged **.** in August, while South Korea edged up just *.***, producing cautious compound offtakes. In Southeast Asia, downstream converters deferred non-critical orders amid competitive resin premiums, leading to a sideways POE demand curve. Overall, end-users focused on maintaining minimal replenishment, reinforcing the flat price environment.

Supply Perspective