Resin buyers are entering the second half of July with two very different market conditions. Polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC and PET continue to favor buyers. Inventory remains elevated, no meaningful July price increases have emerged, and current supply-demand fundamentals continue to support aggressive negotiations. But another group of resins just received a weather advisory.
Rising crude oil prices and strengthening benzene spot markets have created new uncertainty for polystyrene, ABS, polycarbonate, PA66 and PA6. While July contract settlements still provide opportunities for buyers, waiting until August could change the negotiation landscape if feedstock costs continue moving higher.
In this episode, Michael Workman delivers the full resin market update for the week of July 17, covering every major material: PE, PP, PS, ABS, PC, PVC, PA66, PA6 and PET, along with practical buyer actions for each market.
Topics covered:
- Why PE, PP, PVC and PET buyers still have leverage
- How crude oil and benzene are changing the outlook for five engineering resins
- Why July contract settlements matter more than spot market headlines
- Production outages versus true demand recovery in polypropylene
- The impact of the INEOS Styrolution plant closure on polystyrene
- Hurricane season risks for PET buyers with Gulf Coast exposure
- Procurement strategies buyers should use before market conditions shift
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