- Market Overview
- Strategic Analysis
- Key Features
Market Overview
Duration: Short-term – 2-year price forecast and market outlook
The global C4 and Elastomer markets find themselves in extremely unusual territory at the current time. The majority of commodities in this value chain are used to produce big-ticket durable goods, more than half of them in the mobility sector. The current economic conditions in most of the world are making consumers reconsider these purchases. As a result, butadiene demand throughout the world has weakened. This has forced traditional importing markets, such as North America, into the export market, depressing margins in every major producing region. Butadiene supply is determined by the production of crude C4 coproducts from ethylene crackers. Ethylene demand growth has been disappointing, forcing many cracker operators to reduce operating rates, but not nearly as weak as butadiene demand growth. So, the market is facing two key questions the answers of which will set its direction in the near to medium term. First, how long will butadiene demand remain weak, and will it ever return to more historically typical rates? Second, how will the industry process all of the crude C4 that will come from the higher ethylene cracker operating rates that are forecast in 2024 and beyond?
Prices and market updates for Northeast Asia, West Europe, and North America:
- Butadiene
- Butene-1
- Butylene
- Crude C4s
- Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether (MTBE)
- Natural Rubber
- Polybutadiene Rubber
- Raffinate, C4
- Styrene Butadiene Rubber
Strategic Analysis
Duration: Short-term – 2-year price forecast and market outlook
The Global C4 Olefins & Elastomers service provides a comprehensive view of world markets for crude C4s, butadiene, butylenes, synthetic rubber and, natural rubber. The report includes market trends, production economics, prices, margins, operating schedules, trade flow, and supply-demand balances for key materials and regions in the sector. This market sector is remarkably complex, with significant drivers from a wide range of sources. C4 olefins value chain subject matter experts (SMEs) assimilate market data from a variety of sources and generate a consistent, coherent view of current market conditions and an outlook for trends, including prices, costs, and margins as well as, supply and demand trends through the following calendar year. We provide the most comprehensive analysis of current and near-term market conditions to help our clients make the best possible decisions for their businesses.
Key Features
Duration: Short-term – 2-year price forecast and market outlook
PRICES COVERED
Contract and spot price summary with a brief review of current market conditions.
- Crude C4s
- Natural Rubber
- Butadiene
- Synthetic rubber
- Butenes
- Butylenes
GLOBAL MONTHLY MARKET REPORT
The Global monthly C4 Olefins & Elastomers service provides a comprehensive view of world markets for crude C4s, butadiene, butylenes, synthetic rubber, and natural rubber. It includes current and forecast market pricing for key regional markers, updates on market events and insightful market intelligence.
Publication Timing: Beginning of the month (Closest business day to the 5th)
DATA SUPPLEMENT
Included in the monthly summary, the data appendix contains historical prices, price forecasts, production economics, supply/demand balances, operating schedules, trade statistics, and other essential analyses.
Publication Timing: Beginning of the month (Closest business day to the 5th)
MARKET FOCUS REPORT
This monthly report explores further research on crucial and timely issues within the C4 olefins and elastomers industry. Previous topics of analysis encompass characteristics of the butadiene merchant market, macroeconomics of the rubber industry, the impact of China on global markets, MTBE, global trade patterns of C4 and related commodities, inter-competition between synthetic and natural rubber, and the long-term outlook for butadiene markets with geographic shifts in tire production.
Publication Timing: Closest business day to the 20th of each month
ACCESS TO SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS
Personal telephone and/or email discussions, and meetings on the subject matter covered in the monthly report.
SUPPLY & DEMAND
Short-term production news updates, production statistics, plant-by-plant operating schedules. End-use analysis across the diverse range of end-use sectors plus macro industry trend analysis.
Region
- United States
- West Europe
- Asia
Chemical
- Crude C4
- Butadiene
- Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether (MTBE)
TRADE
Trade statistics, global trade analysis, and freight estimates.
OPERATING SCHEDULE
Region
- United States
- Canada
- West Europe
- North & Southeast Asia
- China
Chemical
- Butadiene
- Crude C4
REGULAR WEBINARS
Every quarter, global webinars providing access to our subject matter experts (SMEs). These one-hour sessions include a presentation with Q&A, where our SMEs discuss significant trends in their respective regions.