The market is shaping up to favour sellers who want rollovers or increases.
Polystyrene (PS) remains tight in Europe in October on the back of turnarounds and improving demand.
After a spate of maintenance turnarounds, supply of PS in Europe has tightened from September to October.
And even if turnarounds are ending, it will take some time, probably mid-October, for producers to return to normal.
What is more, demand seems to be improving and helping to tighten the European PS market further in October.
Several buyers that suffered during lockdowns said they are now close to pre-pandemic levels.
Moreover, some market segments have rallied recently, one of which is the white goods sector.
September was a good month for sellers and this seems to be continuing in October.
Therefore, given the current market dynamics, there is a very good chance that PS sellers will be able to widen margins once again.
The fall in the styrene price from September to October should also help this, since it is generally easier for sellers to widen margins when costs fall.
Meanwhile, several European producers announced either increases or rollovers in October.