Trends Driving Synthetic Rubber Feedstock Markets

Global petrochemical markets have experienced unprecedented volatility in supply/demand and pricing over the past two years.  These trends have been felt at all stages of the value chain.  Recent drivers in the petrochemical landscape include:  the impacts of the recession,  the rise of the Middle East as a dominant producer of ethylene and derivatives, and the emergence of China as a major player in the global petrochemicals and derivatives markets.  In this paper we present our view of the market over the next few years for the major synthetic rubber feedstocks:  ethylene, propylene, butadiene, and styrene.