Quarterly Update on Global Benzene Market

 

For the Quarter Ending September 2020

 

Asia

 

The third quarter performance highlighted that Benzene stocks in the Asian market exceeded their last quarter levels as several new Chinese refineries ramped up production while sellers continued to lament over stockpiling inventories. Mixed sales due to uncertain market dynamics while several economies continue to exit lockdowns continued to impact the Benzene consumption. However, with many Southeast Asian refineries implementing production cuts September onwards, and downstream manufacturing units accelerating output in several Asian economies ahead of the festive season, market players believe that the demand-supply gap is likely to strike out a much-needed balance in Q4 FY20.

 

Europe

 

The third quarter European Benzene market remained lengthened with narrow Benzene-Naphtha spread indicative of the fragile market conditions. The demand for benzene from downstream sectors remained seasonally low in addition to pressure of economic fallout due to COVID-19. The pricing graph last showed an upward trajectory in July and then gradually tapered off due to oversupply situation. Closures of automotive factories and persistently weaker dynamics in the styrene sector hard hit the regional demand. Market players stated there has been a substantial recovery in demand since the last quarter, but not strong enough to push Benzene back to the pre-COVID levels as of now.

 

North America

 

The third quarter showed mixed results for the North American Benzene industry. Regional Benzene demand remained firm from the Styrene segment amid a recent uptick in exports as well as stronger Benzene demand in the US. Margins for the mixed xylene sector were pressured amid soft demand from the downstream Paraxylene segment. Wave of production shutdowns due to hurricane Laura led to temporary supply shortage. Prices showed a sharp rebound with rise in upstream crude futures and prospects turning positive as trading windows opened between the US and Asian markets. 

ChemAnalyst addresses the key problematic areas and risks associated with chemical and petrochemical business globally and enables the decision-maker to make smart choices. It identifies and analyses factors such as geopolitical risks, environmental risks, raw material availability, supply chain functionality, disruption in technology and so on. It targets market volatility and ensures clients navigate through challenges and pitfalls in an efficient and agile manner. Timeliness and accuracy of data has been the core competency of Chemanalyst, benefitting domestic as well as global industry in tuning in to the real-time data points to execute multi-billion-dollar projects globally.

Market Analysis

 

Company-wise installed capacity, production volume and plant operating efficiency is captured directly from manufacturers. Import and Export volume is captured from government sources and demand for Benzene is calculated considering the production, import, export and inventory-levels on the country and regional level markets.

 

Pricing Analysis

 

Benzene price is correlated with the price trend of crude oil, Naphtha, consumption of downstream derivatives such as Styrene, Aniline, Ethylbenzene, Caprolactam etc. and the demand-supply fundamentals.

 

Company Profile

 

Basic details and information on financial performance of leading global players in the Benzene market is presented in a visually captivating manner. Expansion plans and the company’s strategy is also captured to understand the vision and mission of the company to help understand the areas where companies need to focus more.

 

News & Deals

 

Daily updates on industry-specific and product-specific news, exclusive primary-based news capturing plant shutdowns/outages/closures, capacity expansions, operating rates, insights on demand-supply situation, awarding of technology licenses, new product launch and deals specifying mergers and acquisitions, strategic investments and disinvestments, to help players capitalize on market opportunity.

ChemAnalyst gathers information through primary research surveys conducted with various Benzene manufacturers, spread across the domestic and international markets, suppliers and dealers/distributors to gain insights into value-chains and demand-supply scenario to assess the market situation. Thorough study of the company’s annual reports and secondary sources such as exhaustive search on credible paid databases, including our internal database is done to verify the information. All the collected information is analyzed, evaluated and presented in chronological order to depict a meaningful and clear picture of the concerned market.

 

Our dedicated team of industry experts comprehensively monitors and analyzes various aspects of the Global Benzene market. The team analyzes various industrial segments, strategic viewpoints and provides an analysis of the industry’s performance in the long run. This would enable our clients in efficiently plan their future investments, mitigate risk, understand the cost dynamics and strike out a balance amidst market volatility.

 

Critical examination of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the global supply chains and shift in demand patterns with change in buying behavior of consumers across the globe.

 

Several ongoing development projects across industries are tracked, followed by the details of major projects in the development stage, which can positively or negatively influence Global Benzene market.

 

Pricing is captured through exhaustive primary interviews with domestic and international manufacturers, traders and importers and customers on weekly, monthly and yearly basis.

 

Finally, region-specific markets for Benzene are analyzed and region-wise demand pattern is tracked.

Benzene (C6H6) is an aromatic hydrocarbon and a colorless, refractive liquid possessing a characteristic aromatic odour and toxic vapour. It obtained as a by-product during the Refinery, Naphtha Cracker, Paraxylene and Steel plant processes. Benzene is one of the key building blocks for several petrochemical intermediates such as ethylbenzene for styrene production, cumene for phenol and acetone, cyclohexane for nylon chain and nitrobenzene for aniline. These derivatives are used across many industrial sectors to produce countless consumer goods such as textile, packaging, paints, adhesives, plywood, electronics, dyes, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and several others. The global Benzene industry is particularly complex because of the different means of production and variety of end uses it involves. Catalytic reforming or steam cracking of liquid petroleum feedstocks and hydrodealkylation (HDA) of toluene and toluene disproportionation (TDP) are some of the common Benzene manufacturing processes used worldwide. Benzene is also co-produced during the production of a paraxylene-rich xylenes stream. Being strongly tied to several commodity petrochemicals, the overall Benzene consumption strongly varies with the general economy and has been increasingly linked to the expanding polymer and petrochemical industries in the emerging countries of the world.