Brazil's Braskem lowers domestic PE prices, keeps domestic PP unchanged: source

Brazilian polyethylene producer Braskem will cut its domestic prices this week after no changes since the start of April, a company source said Tuesday. 

Brazilian domestic polypropylene prices will remain stable, the source added. 

Low-density PE and linear low-density PE will prices will each be lowered by about Real 150/mt (around $48/mt), while prices for all grades of high-density PE will decrease by roughly Real 100/mt (around $32/mt), the source said, adding that the decreases include PIS/COFINS. 

Brazilian sources had been expecting stable-to-lower domestic PE prices in April, in line with recent price decreases in the import market, sources said. Sources in Mercosur in recent weeks had also talked of lower PE prices in April. 

S&P Global Platts on Wednesday assessed Brazilian domestic prices unchanged across the board and export prices stable to lower week on week. 

In Brazilian export assessments, LDPE was at $1,430/mt; LLDPE was at $1,260/mt; HDPE film and injection were at $1,260/mt; HDPE blowmolding was at $1,220/mt. PP homopolymer was assessed at $1,230/mt and PP copolymer at $1,240/mt. All assessments are on an FOT Brazil basis for delivery by truck to Mercosur markets. 

In domestic Brazilian assessments, LDPE was at Real 6,200/mt (around $1,977/mt); LLDPE was at Real 5,700/mt (around $1,817/mt); and all three grades of HDPE were at Real 5,600/mt (around $1,785/mt). All assessments were made on a delivered Sao Paulo basis by truck.