Ethylene Carbonate Price Trend and Forecast

Regional Price Overview

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

Ethylene Carbonate Price Trend for the Q1 of 2024

Asia

In Asia, the ethylene carbonate prices bore the ill consequences of the declining cost of feedstock ethylene in both domestic and overseas markets. The quarter began on a softer note for downstream industries and ended with a substantial rise in the cost of production. This production cost was influenced by the uptick in crude oil prices and the limited influx of raw materials from international industries.

Ethylene Carbonate Price Chart

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The subdued trend was further a result of the lowering of export volumes to Europe and Asia due to the disruption of the Red Sea route and the ongoing geopolitical crisis between Israel and Hamas. However, ethylene oxide showcased some instances of improved activities, raising the optimism of the traders in the near quarters.

Europe

Throughout the first quarter of 2024, the ethylene carbonate market in Germany experienced stagnancy due to persistently bleak demand from the Lithium-ion battery manufacturing sector and fluctuating raw material prices. Despite logistical disruptions and rising freight rates in the Red Sea region, as well as elevated ethylene oxide prices, product prices remained stable.

This stability, attributed to steady pricing policies and average demand, prevented margin recovery for producers. In Germany, the abrupt discontinuation of its electric vehicle incentive program in December 2023 further led to a sharp decline in EV sales, impacting the ethylene carbonate market.

North America

In the first quarter of 2024, the global ethylene carbonate market continued its oscillating trajectory, which was well reflected in the ethylene carbonate pricing pattern in North America. The prices were influenced by factors such as supply-demand imbalances, increased production costs, and geopolitical uncertainties. In the US, the cost of feedstock, ethylene oxide, also experienced a rise, raising the overall expenditure of the manufacturers.

Further, with the decline in crude oil inventories, as reported by EIA, the overall cost of production skyrocketed, limiting the production activities of the region. In view of these subdued market trends, the traders were also skeptical of the future trajectory as investments in the sector became stagnant. The loss of export volumes through the Panama Canal further raised concerns and resulted in the stunted growth of ethylene carbonate prices in the first quarter of 2024.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the price trend of Ethylene Carbonate is estimated to witness a number of challenges in the next quarter as the changing landscape of chemical industries has raised the uncertainties of the market.

Ethylene Carbonate (EC) Price Trend for the October - December of 2023

Asia

Ethylene Carbonate is a derived petrochemical that is produced by reacting ethylene oxide with carbon dioxide. So, other than its extensive usage in the polymer industry as a plasticizer, it is also sufficiently consumed in the electronics industry primarily because of its role in energy storage applications.

The market trend for Ethylene Carbonate are driven by its market demands from these consuming industries and the costs of feedstock ethylene oxide. Owing to the sufficient market offtakes from the downstream industries, the Ethylene Carbonate prices in the Indian domestic market were mostly found to be wavering at the higher end. The Chinese market, too, showcased some narrow-ranged fluctuations with largely positive market sentiments.

Europe

The European Ethylene Carbonate market, too, wavered within confined price limits during the said period. Owing to higher demands, the first half of the quarter was more stable for the Ethylene Carbonate price graph, as the second half saw marginal depreciation in prices due to the approaching holiday season. Overall, mixed market sentiments were observed.

North America

Mirroring the trend of the global Ethylene Carbonate market, the prices in the North American market also showed variations in the price index. Driven by the feedstock ethylene oxide prices, the US market was observed to be fluctuating throughout the given quarter of 2023. The general market sentiments were largely positive for most of the discussed time period.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the Ethylene Carbonate price trend are likely to remain fluctuating in the coming months given the current uncertainties in the feedstock costs and market demands.

Ethylene Carbonate Price Trend for the July-September of 2023

Asia

The Asian market trend for ethylene carbonate showcased turbulent patterns during the third quarter of 2023. The ethylene carbonate price graph was mostly observed to be swinging at the lower end. Several factors contributed to the sliding trajectory of ethylene carbonate.

The suppliers procured excess products anticipating higher demands, but to their dismay, the demand diminished, leading to the problem of overstock inventories as the downstream pharma and electronics sectors already secured their required supplies beforehand. The feedstock ethylene oxide failed to provide any substantial lift to the production costs. Overall, depreciating price trend were observed for ethylene carbonate during the given time period of Q3’23.

Europe

The European ethylene carbonate market is heavily dependent on cheap Asian imports; hence, it mimics the trend seen in the Asian market. The European market is very dependent on cheap Asian exports. Further, the rapid supply chain normalization in Europe significantly pushed down the freight and transportation costs for international trade. This led to a fall in ethylene carbonate prices. Bearish demands from the consuming sectors also pushed the ethylene carbonate down. Overall, falling price trend were observed for ethylene carbonate.

North America

The North American market mirrored the global trend for ethylene carbonate. With high inventory levels and dull downstream demands, the price graph mostly remained downward, wavering with some occasional reverse fluctuations.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the Ethylene Carbonate price trend are expected to continue fluctuating given the overstocked inventories amid feeble demands and an uncertain global economy.

Ethylene Carbonate Price Trend for the First Half of 2023

Asia

The Asian ethylene carbonate market fluctuated in the first quarter of 2023 and then declined gradually in the second quarter. In the first quarter, the trend surged initially as the demand from the end-user industries rose but soon plunged due to a drop in manufacturing rates. As the sales of electric vehicles also saw a slump, the buyers lost their confidence in the ethylene carbonate market and thus reduced their number of orders. These subdued market conditions eventually led to a fall in the price trend of ethylene carbonate.

Europe

A stretch of uncertainties was observed in the first quarter of 2023 in the ethylene carbonate price trend. The region was affected by the rising rates of inflation and high costs of energy production. These factors also negatively impacted the demand for ethylene carbonate from both domestic and overseas buyers. In addition, the second quarter also suffered from fluctuating raw material costs along with cuts in production activities and profit margins. The trend in this quarter was somehow stable as demand from the EV market kept the prices of ethylene carbonate afloat.

North America

The North American region experienced a continuous decline in the price trend of ethylene carbonate in both the first and second quarters of 2023. The market suffered from the stagnant demand from electronics, EV, and related sectors and poor market sentiments that caused the buyers to adopt a wait-and-see approach. The decreasing number of new orders and declining export rates further aided this falling ethylene carbonate prices.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, ethylene carbonate prices are estimated to depict a mixed trend. The continuously falling feedstock costs and fluctuating demand from downstream industries will guide the price trend of ethylene carbonate in the upcoming quarter.

Procurement Resource provides latest prices of Ethylene Carbonate. 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.