Better demand, higher costs and tighter supply are supporting the upside.
PMMA prices from Q3 to Q4 increased in Europe by €20-50/mt due to a tighter market and higher costs, according to GC Intelligence market analysis.
This is the first increase this year. European polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) prices posted losses for the past two years.
And despite the high demand for protective sheets the fall in other markets continued to push down prices in the spring.
However, the market since September has changed. The low production, better demand and higher costs helped to lift prices.
Demand is improving also in other market segments that had been suffereing. And despite the slowdown in demand growth for protective sheets, volumes remain high in this sector.
PMMA supply in Europe has become tighter recently because of production issues and maintenance turnarounds.
In addition, methyl methacrylate (MMA) prices increased and added further support to prices.
In fact, depending on type of account, some buyers achieved rollovers, while others had to accept increases higher than €50/mt.
As in other markets, PMMA’s seasonality pattern is being disrupted by the ongoing high market volatility due to the virus.
But even if prices increased in Q4, it is too soon to see this as the start of an upward trend.
The markets could easily take a turn for the worse in the winter amid a second wave of infections.