(ICIS) -- US ethylene margins fell slightly in the third week of August, after an increase in feedstock prices outweighed new gains in ethylene spot prices, the ICIS margin report showed on Monday.
Ethylene margins were at 33.36 cents/lb (USD 735/tonne, EUR 514/tonne) for the week ended 19 August, down by 0.7% from a week earlier using ethane as a feedstock. The small drop, which snapped a six-week uptrend in US margins, resulted from gains in ethane prices.
Ethane accounts for around 60% of the feedstocks used for US ethylene production.
US ethylene spot prices inched up in the third week of August, despite continued losses in the upstream energy complex.
Ethylene for August traded at 61.750-62.750 cents/lb, an average 0.3% increase from deals done at 61.000-63.125 cents/lb a week earlier.
MRC