Germany Leads European Pet Coke Market to Stability with Tepid Trading Fundamentals

Germany, Hamburg: In a surprising turn of events, the Pet Coke market in Germany entered the phase of stability at the beginning of January 2024 due to balanced supply and demand dynamics. However, the reality of December witnesses a decent plunge owing to the heavy discounts from the overseas market of Pet Coke.

During the beginning of January's first week, the European market for Pet Coke experienced stability to settle the offered quotations at 613 USD/ tonne CFR Hamburg, Germany. This stability was attributed to the recent balance in the region's supply chains which demonstrated remarkable resilience in the Pet Coke market, effectively navigating any potential challenges and ensuring a continuous supply of goods and services. With the pent-up demand from the destocking period, January witnesses a gradual price stabilization. This period acts as a bridge between the December slump and the anticipated production ramp-up. Traders are planning to start cautiously purchasing and stockpiling Pet coke in anticipation of the demand surge.

However, throughout December, Pet coke prices plummeted due to a lack of fresh orders from downstream construction players. Despite marginal improvement in the European construction industry, the PMI remained significantly below the 50, indicating a sharp contraction. This sluggish demand translated into fewer orders, declining exports, production cuts, and falling input and output costs. Adding fuel to the fire was Germany's year-on-year inflation rate jumping from 2.4% in November to 2.9% in December, marking the first increase across the 20 eurozone member states since April 2023. This ongoing inflationary pressure dampened consumer demand further, impacting the construction sector and ultimately Pet coke consumption. The lack of any clear signs of a downstream construction revival in the coming weeks added to the market's woes, primarily due to a significant decrease in new construction projects. While the country's Pet coke supply remained stable throughout December, companies actively destocked during the season, further saturating the market and suppressing any residual demand. Weaker demand for building materials manifested in a tenth consecutive month of improved supplier delivery times, highlighting the sluggishness of the sector.

As per ChemAnalyst, while the first week of January offered a temporary respite in the Pet Coke market, the overall month is expected to showcase a bullish trend as the construction activity and demand are foreseen to pick up and the market is anticipated to enter a boom phase, with both producers and traders benefiting from the renewed demand. Moreover, February onwards could see a production ramp-up to meet the rising needs.