NEW YORK (Sept. 5, 2012)—Platts, a division of McGraw-Hill Companies Inc., is introducing four weekly physical market price assessments for styrene-butadiene rubber beginning Sept. 7, the company said.
The SBR assessments follow closely on last year's introduction of Platts RBX, or natural rubber index.
“It's clear from months of research and industry consultation that the spot market for synthetic rubber has grown to where there is a real need for an independent source of price discovery,” said Shahrin Ismaiyatim, Platts global editorial director-petrochemicals.
The synthetic rubber price assessments will trace SBR delivered to and exported from Europe, and SBR delivered to northeast and southeast Asia.
The Platts Northwest European Styrene-Butadiene Rubber price assessment will reflect five grades of clear emulsion and solution-grade SBR for deliver three to 30 days forward on a free-delivered basis to inland destinations and free-on-board to export destinations, Platts said.
The Platts Asian Styrene-Butadiene Rubber price assessment will reflect one grade of clear emulsion and solution-grade SBR for delivery 30 to 60 days forward to northeast and southeast Asia on a cost-and-freight basis.
Quoting the International Monetary Fund, Platts said more than 15 million metric tons of synthetic rubber were manufactured worldwide in 2011. Polling industry analysts, Platts estimated that SR production will increase as much as 6 percent by 2014, with production concentrated in Asia, Europe and the U.S.
The SBR price assessments will be available through Platts Petrochemical Alert, Platts' real-time news and price delivery service; the Friday edition of the daily Platts Rubber Index; and the weekly newsletter Platts Olefinscan. These publications are available only to Platts subscribers.