Fatty Alcohol Price Trend and Forecast

Regional Price Overview

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

Fatty Alcohol Price Trend for the Q1 of 2024

Asia

In the latter half of the first quarter of 2024, fatty alcohol prices in India rose by a significant margin, coinciding with the initiation of an anti-dumping probe on rubber industry chemicals imported from China and Japan. China’s oleochemical industry faced several challenges due to significant imports of finished products in the region amid the slowdown of domestic production activities in the first quarter with the advent of the Chinese New Year holidays and spring festivities.

The fatty alcohol demand, however, in India surged in the later months of the quarter, driven by warming weather conditions and increased consumption, notably in the FMCG and automotive sectors. In the EV segment, particularly two-wheelers, registrations have seen substantial growth, buoyed by incentives like the FAME-II subsidy, which supported an uptrend in the pricing trajectory of fatty alcohol in the first quarter of 2024.

Europe

In the European countries, the regional market witnessed a steady increase in fatty alcohol prices attributed to various factors. First and foremost, the global palm oil output has plateaued, restricting its availability due to expanded biodiesel mandates and challenging economic conditions. Reduced operating rates in German manufacturing firms further exacerbated supply-side pressures, leading to limited availability of the commodity in the region.

Malaysian palm oil futures have continued to climb, driven by higher crude oil prices, and its influx in the European markets has raised the overall cost of production of fatty alcohols. However, demand from downstream personal care industries was slower than anticipated. The pessimistic looms among German manufacturing firms due to economic weakness and political factors also challenged the uprising of the fatty alcohol price trend. Overall, Fatty Alcohol prices remained elevated, supported by sluggish palm oil production and increased demand from downstream industries.

North America

Fatty alcohol prices in the US market started to rise in 2024 due to increased palm oil prices and expectations of demand revival from downstream industries like cosmetics. Despite a drop in prices in the last quarter due to tepid demand and year-end destocking, palm oil price hikes since January have pushed up manufacturing costs.

Concerns persist over palm oil supply due to labor shortages, impacting fatty alcohol production in the region. Additionally, shipping traffic redirected to the Suez Canal from the Panama Canal has raised concerns about potential delays, affecting global ocean shipping and truck freight. The traders, however, noticed an incline in the overall trajectory of the market, supported by the rising geopolitical instability. Manufacturers anticipate a shift in Asia-U.S. East Coast container shipments, potentially raising freight costs and adhering optimism in the fatty alcohol market.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the price trend of Fatty Alcohol is expected to incline in the near quarters as the demand from the downstream industries is likely to improve with the stabilization of the global economy.

Fatty Alcohol Price Trend for the October - December of 2023

Asia

Fatty Alcohol observed mixed market trend during the final quarter of the year 2023. Fatty Alcohol market started on a stronger note at the beginning of the quarter in October. Owing to the inclination in the feedstock palm oil prices, the market inched upwards in the first couple of months. However, the second half of the quarter saw a rapid fall in fatty alcohol prices.

Along with the feedstock oil prices, these market trajectories also followed the demands of downstream detergent, cosmetic, etc., industries during the given period. Since market demands were firm initially, the prices remained inclined. However, the holiday season in the latter months pushed the market demands down. Overall, confined variations were witnessed in the fatty alcohol prices.

Europe

The European market trend for fatty alcohol were very similar to the Asian trend. The trade disruptions caused by the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars had a substantial influence on the fatty alcohol price trend in the European markets. Amidst a global slowdown in industrial consumption and a decline in crude oil prices, fatty alcohol prices were also observed to be varying at the lower end of the price curve.

North America

The North American market trend for fatty alcohol were not any different from the other major global markets. Following the prices of feedstock palm oil, the market dynamics here, too, remained gloomy.
 
Existing inventory stocks pressurized the suppliers further to cut down production. Overall, swinging price trend were observed.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the Fatty Alcohol price trend are likely to continue to waver similarly in the coming months. Given the current market dynamics, no immediate change in the pricing outlook is projected.

Fatty Alcohol Price Trend for the July-September of 2023

Asia

The Asian market recorded bearish sentiments for fatty alcohol prices during the third quarter of 2023. The lowered demands from the downstream surfactants and personal care industries led to the stockpiling of inventories, which greatly impacted the price trajectories. Further, the availability of cheap palm failed to provide the much-needed upstream cost support.

Despite the El Nino disturbances, the production of palm oil is all set to rise further, given the better availability of labor and maturation of plantations for harvesting. Hence, large stocks amid already falling upstream cost support and demands caused the price trend for fatty alcohol to decline in the said period.

Europe

In line with the Asian markets, the price trend for fatty alcohol kept on the lower side of the scale in the European regional market. The economic backlash, coupled with reduced buyer confidence in the market, affected the trading sentiments deeply, causing the market dynamics to suffer. Further, the cheap imports from Asia lowered the upstream cost pressure, which, coupled with bleak demands, caused the price graph of fatty alcohol to move downwards.

North America

Owing to the overstocked inventories and bearish demands, the trading dynamics of the US domestic market suffered, causing the price graph of fatty alcohol to decline during the said period. Further, the normalization of trade routes and freight charges affected the fatty alcohol prices.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the price trend for fatty alcohol are likely to fluctuate in the coming quarter, given the current uncertainties in the global demand and economy.

Procurement Resource provides latest prices of Fatty Alcohol. 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; customization of price currencies and unit; extraction of price data as excel files to be used offline.