Isobutene Price Trend and Forecast

Regional Price Overview

Get the latest insights on price movement and trend analysis of Isobutene in different regions across the world (Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa).

Isobutene Price Trend for the Second Half of 2022

Asia

Isobutene price trends in the second half of 2022 showed very oscillating patterns. Asian markets witnessed highs and lows but remained stable and afloat for most of the second half of 2022. Q3 had more fluctuations with highs pertaining to occasional high demands and rises in energy prices, hiking the production costs. Whereas lows were concerned with easy feedstock availability. Isobutene price trends in Q4 however, were more plateaued compared to Q3 as downstream demands stayed sluggish, covid restrictions in the Chinese market curtailed the production capacities. Overall trends remained adrift.

Europe

The effects and consequences of the global economic slowdown can very clearly be observed in the EU. High inflation affected the production costs in almost all industrial sectors and the hike in energy prices due to hampered energy supplies because of the Russia – Ukraine conflict worsened the situation. Even though cheap imports from Asian markets aided the situation a little bit, the constant sullen demand patterns couldn’t help the domestic market much. Isobutene prices for the European market stayed slow and wavered.

North America

H2 2022 in North America showed a varied, hybrid trend for Isobutene prices. Market demand determined the downing price trends, feedstock prices, and supply chain hindrances that drove the production costs. As the global economic slowdown affected the industrial manufacturing sector. And year-end is accompanied by the holiday season which also accounts for low industrial activities. Overall, the isobutene price trends remained afloat.

Analyst insight

According to Procurement Resource, the isobutene market trends will seemingly remain fluctuating. As global GDP suffers, the manufacturing sector is slowing down. The probability of the Isobutene market regaining momentum seems wavered.

Isobutene Price Trend For the First Half of 2022

Asia

The price trends for isobutene showed an upward pattern in the Asia-Pacific region during the said period. The unprecedented market volatility owing to complex geopolitical realities coupled with the reemergence of covid-19 cases caused the manufacturers to raise their quotations for petrochemicals.

The price of isobutene averaged 1666 USD/MT Ex-Mumbai during the first quarter. These higher quotations were supported by the solid downstream demand from elastomers and the gasoline additives market. These higher prices continued in the second quarter despite the lowering of the crude oil prices because the factories started churning out products at much higher rates to meet the growing market demands.

Europe

The European region faced the direct consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The European embargo on Russian oil and western sanctions triggered an acute economic meltdown with repercussions felt worldwide. The high operating and sourcing costs caused the manufacturers to pass the higher prices on to the customers.

The price of isobutene settled at 1115 USD/MT during the first quarter of the said period. Despite the alarming costs, the prices remained afloat in the market owing to inflated freight charges, labour costs and strong market sentiments.

North America

The price trends for isobutene in the American domestic market closely mimicked the global outlook. The inflated costs, labour and transportation shortages, and supply constraints added to the high operating costs for isobutene. The demand for bio-based fuel additives further propelled the prices of isobutene.

Procurement Resource provides latest prices of Isobutene. Each price database is tied to a user-friendly graphing tool dating back to 2014, which provides a range of functionalities: configuration of price series over user defined time period; comparison of product movements across countries; customisation of price currencies and unit; extraction of price data as excel files to be used offline.