Methyl Tert Butyl Ether (MTBE) prices in the United States jumped considerably by x.xx in the week ended xx January, due to a combination of rising costs of feedstocks, limited production, and logistics, as well as steady export demand for gasoline blending.
On the cost side, MTBE manufacturers were under substantial pressure from rising costs of their upstream feedstocks. Prices of feedstock methanol were up x.xx from the previous week, while prices of crude oil were up x.xx, pushing the price of isobutylene, a major feedstock for MTBE, higher. A simultaneous rise in both methanol and isobutylene prices pushed the production costs substantially, making it possible for domestic MTBE manufacturers to increase their prices during the week.
Meanwhile, production-side fundamentals were also supportive of the MTBE price increase. US manufacturing activity grew for the first time in a year in...
