Paraformaldehyde Price Trend and Forecast

Paraformaldehyde Regional Price Overview

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

Paraformaldehyde Price Trend for the Q3 of 2024

Asia

The Asian paraformaldehyde market faced a downward trajectory during Q3'24, primarily influenced by weakening downstream demand and oversupply conditions. The slump in feedstock methanol prices, following Methanex's temporary plant closures and shifting market dynamics, further pressured the market.
 

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The resin and fertilizer sectors' subdued performance, coupled with ample product availability, continued to drive prices lower throughout the quarter.

Europe

The European paraformaldehyde market maintained an upward trend during Q3'24, supported by robust demand from pharmaceutical and resin sectors. Supply remained balanced despite feedstock volatility, allowing producers to maintain higher price levels. The growing emphasis on sustainable practices in the region also contributed to steady market growth.

North America

North American Paraformaldehyde prices showed a mixed trend during Q3'24. While early quarter saw price increases driven by production costs and supply chain issues, the market later stabilized. The shifting dynamics in feedstock methanol availability and varying downstream demand patterns created periodic price fluctuations, though overall market sentiment remained cautiously optimistic.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the Paraformaldehyde market will likely remain under pressure in the coming months. The global methanol supply situation and downstream industry performance will remain key factors influencing price movements across regions.
 

Paraformaldehyde Price Trend for the Q2 of 2024

Asia

In China, the paraformaldehyde market experienced significant fluctuations throughout Q2 2024. In the early phase of the quarter, prices saw a slight uptick, primarily driven by an increase in methanol prices, a critical raw material for paraformaldehyde production. This rise in methanol prices resulted from a reduced domestic supply and pre-holiday stocking activities, which provided some support for paraformaldehyde prices. However, as the quarter progressed, methanol prices began to stabilize and even decrease, leading to weaker cost support for paraformaldehyde.

Concurrently, demand from downstream sectors remained subdued, resulting in modest price changes. This downward trend was further compounded by decreased operating rates at some paraformaldehyde production plants as they prepared for the off-season. Towards the end of the quarter, paraformaldehyde prices saw some recovery driven by a surge in downstream demand from the manufacturing sector and a tight supply of high-quality chemical coal, which also supported methanol prices. Despite these temporary gains, the overall outlook for the paraformaldehyde market remained bearish due to anticipated declines in operating rates at downstream factories and the potential for weaker market transactions.

Europe

In Europe, the paraformaldehyde market faced a southward price trend throughout Q2 2024. This downturn was primarily driven by growing concerns about market fundamentals in the consumer sector, leading to an oversupply of the commodity and limited downstream procurement rates. The widening supply-demand gap reduced market momentum significantly.

Additionally, surging inventories put pressure on traders who were already strained by limited trading activities with overseas partners. The decline was further exacerbated by consistent fluctuations in methanol prices, impacting the production costs of paraformaldehyde. These factors collectively contributed to the downward trajectory of paraformaldehyde prices in Europe during the second quarter.

North America

The paraformaldehyde market in North America showcased a mixed approach throughout Q2 2024. Initially, prices surged due to a limited supply of feedstock methanol and escalating production costs. Increased procurement activities in both domestic and overseas markets also contributed to this upward trend, easing the pressures from previous quarters on the manufacturing and trading sectors. However, this positive momentum did not last for the entire quarter, as the market concluded on a rough note. The primary cause of this downturn was limited overseas trading, which was altered by longer lead times. This disruption in trading activities, combined with other market pressures, resulted in a challenging environment for paraformaldehyde prices towards the end of the second quarter.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the price of Paraformaldehyde is expected to witness slight fluctuations given the rough circumstances in all the major drivers of the market, such as feedstock industries, downstream sectors, and trading activities.
 

Paraformaldehyde Price Trend for the Q1 of 2024

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Asia

Paraformaldehyde prices in the Asian market saw wavering patterns, mostly tilted in the southward direction during the first quarter of 2024. However, at large, the markets were mostly consolidated since the fluctuations were very tightly bound in range. In the Chinese market’s Shandong region, the prices went from approximately 4900 RMB/MT in January’24 to around 4762 RMB/MT in March’24.

In the Indian paraformaldehyde market, the prices were largely buoyant during the said period. The inflation in the crude oil and energy markets significantly raised the production and processing costs. However, the markets were still overstocked with inventories produced with lesser investments. Thus, the prices could not incline much despite all the upstream factors working in their favor. Occasional ups and downs in the price graph resulted in a more balanced performance of the Indian paraformaldehyde markets.

Europe

In the European paraformaldehyde market, the prices showcased an optimistic trajectory during the first quarter of 2024. The early couple of months were quite stable as not much changed on the price front. A stable and almost flattened curve was witnessed for the first half of Q1’24. However, soon, the market started aligning with the rising cost pressures.

Feedstock costs and freight charges all increased multifolds, which pressured suppliers to push up the market rates for paraformaldehyde as selling at the earlier prices was not economically sustainable anymore. So, as soon as the downstream demands provided little room for improvement, the Paraformaldehyde prices inclined in the European market in the latter half of the quarter. Albeit these inclinations were also very swift and confined.

North America

The American paraformaldehyde market exuded similar buoyancy just like the Chinese market. The interplay of moderate supplies and modest demands kept the prices afloat for the given time duration. The market relied more on domestic consumers because of the social and political unrest in various parts of the world. Wars in Europe and the Middle East curtailed the international supply chains and trade dependencies. Thus, the suppliers were very cautious before making bulk purchases and procured attentively based on the domestic demand patterns. Overall, borderline stagnancy was noticed in the paraformaldehyde prices in the American market during the first three months of 2024.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the Paraformaldehyde price trends are expected to continue fluctuating in the coming months. The markets will remain driven by various driving factors, primarily the downstream demands.
 

Paraformaldehyde Price Trend for the October - December of 2023

Asia

The Chinese paraformaldehyde acquired several oscillations in its price trend in the last quarter of 2023. First, the foremost problem presented in front of the producers was the dip in the cost of raw materials such as methanol. Along with this, the prices of crude oil and other sources of energy production also showcased a bearish trend, which in turn lowered the overall cost of production.

Further, the narrow fluctuations in the upstream markets also prevented the paraformaldehyde market from attaining a balanced structure. However, as the quarter neared its end, there was a slight sigh of hope given by a rise in trading activities, which helped the paraformaldehyde price trend to close the quarter on a positive note.

Europe

Following the dynamics observed in the Asian countries, the European region also witnessed fluctuations in the paraformaldehyde prices around a mean value. The work progressed on the back of weakened support from the downstream industries and the declining cost of upstream products.

The feedstock methanol also offered only limited support to the market. Additionally, the export route challenges rose at the end of the quarter due to blockage of the Red Sea route on account of the rising Israel-Hamas crisis, which delayed the shipments leaving and arriving at European ports and caused a substantial decline in trading activities.

North America

In the US, the weak momentum of the feedstock sector was well translated into the paraformaldehyde price trend. The manufacturers found it difficult to increase their price quotations in the last quarter of the year as the traders complained about the excessive level of existing inventories and declining prices of crude oil.

The other factors, such as demand from downstream industries and export-import balance, worked along the lines of global trend and thus prevented the uptick in paraformaldehyde price trend.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the price trend of Paraformaldehyde are estimated to be driven by the momentum of methanol and the equilibrium of supply and demand around the globe.
 

Paraformaldehyde Price Trend for the July - September of 2023

Asia

After a weak run in the previous quarter, the Paraformaldehyde market fundamentals finally started seeing some improvement as the third quarter began. Though marginally, the void between supply and demand dynamics was receding in July. Because of this the first half of the third quarter was observed to be a little stable as the price graph started flattening a little during this time.

However, the gap between supplies and market offtakes started increasing again as the product kept flowing in the inventories, but the demands did not rise after a certain point. This led to the reshifting of the paraformaldehyde price curve downwards. In conclusion, the regional price index for paraformaldehyde recorded mixed price trend in Asian markets, particularly in India and China.

Europe

Influenced by the slow global trend for paraformaldehyde, the European price trend were also found to be struggling in the third quarter of 2023. After the crude oil market started stabilizing in Europe, the upstream production costs plummeted across industries.

Secondly, because of lowered consumption in the previous quarters of high inflation, paraformaldehyde inventories were stacked with unused stocks. This situation widened the gap between supply and demand, and the price trend turned negative in the latter half of the quarter. Overall, a lukewarm market performance was observed by paraformaldehyde in Q3’23.

North America

The North American paraformaldehyde market behaved in accordance with global trend and slowed down consistently in the third quarter of 2023. Excess stockpiles and dull downstream demands were primarily responsible for the downward-facing price trend of paraformaldehyde. Overall, the general market outlook was poor.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, Paraformaldehyde market performance is not expected to improve immediately in the coming months; however, the market will strive for normalization.
 

Paraformaldehyde Price Trend for the First Half of 2023

Asia

In the Asia-Pacific region, weak trading activities and lower trade volumes led to the downward movement of paraformaldehyde prices. The higher rates of production and low demand from the majority of key players of paraformaldehyde also proved to be a challenge for the market. In the second quarter, the high level of inventories, feeble movement of downstream industries, and the overall declined appetite of consumers kept the price trend of paraformaldehyde moving in the negative direction.

Europe

In the European countries, the bearish trajectory of paraformaldehyde prices was followed in the first two quarters of 2023. The manufacturing units increased their production capacities, which, under the circumstances of low demand, only led to a rise in the level of inventories. The downstream industries also performed poorly during these two quarters, which eventually disrupted the supply-demand equilibria, causing the price trend of paraformaldehyde to move southwards.

North America

The initial months of the first quarter supported the rise in the price trend of paraformaldehyde as inventories were depleted amid high demand. The major contributors to the surge in prices were the disinfectant, adhesive, and related sectors, which supported the growth of the market in the domestic as well as the international regions. The second quarter, however, failed to follow in the same steps as with declining demand dynamics and surplus supply of paraformaldehyde in the region, the prices nosedived.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the price trend of Paraformaldehyde is estimated to follow an uncertain trajectory as the supply-demand equilibrium is dependent on the rates of production and market sentiments of the downstream industries.

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