Crude oil escalation sets the tone
The primary driver behind this week’s feedstock rally has been the intensifying US-Iran conflict, which has injected fresh volatility into crude oil markets and lifted the entire petrochemical cost curve. Rising crude prices, combined with tight regional supply, have pushed key intermediates higher even as downstream fibre and yarn demand remains cautious and order flow only gradually stabilises on seasonal restocking.
Naphtha prices climb across Asia
Naphtha markets posted strong week-on-week gains between July * and July **, ****. CFR Far East Asia naphtha rose **.* per cent to $*.*** per kg, while CFR Japan increased **.* per cent to $*.*** per kg and CFR Southeast Asia gained **.* per cent to reach $*.*** per kg. CIF NW Europe naphtha rose a comparatively moderate *.* per cent to $*.*** per kg. On a broader month-long view (June *–July **), Asian naphtha grades showed modest net gains of *.*–*.* per cent, while European naphtha declined *.* per cent over the same period highlighting a divergence between near-term spot tightness in Asia and softer underlying European sentiment.
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