Polypropylene North America monthly market overview May 2019

Polypropylene producers experienced bullish conditions in May as crude oil and naphtha prices rebounded strongly from the recent low point. Prices jumped up following a sharp rise in propylene costs. Demand was steady at a high level in Q2 following the surge as the region entered its peak season. On the supply side an unplanned outage for Total and spring maintenance at other facilities tightened markets in April. We expect demand fundamentals to remain strong through the rest of Q2, while prices will follow the upwards movement in PGP values.