US Gulf:
NOLA ammonium sulfate barge price indications dropped to $250-$275/st FOB for new business, with the high reflecting the recent fill program offer from Interoceanic (IOC) for shipments starting July 15.
Eastern Cornbelt:
Ammonium sulfate ranged broadly at $315-$385/st FOB in the Eastern Cornbelt, with the low reflecting summer fill offers from IOC out of Illinois and Ohio River terminals.
Western Cornbelt:
Granular ammonium sulfate prices slipped to $310-$360/st FOB in the region, with the low reflecting fill offers from IOC at St. Louis.
California:
The ammonium sulfate market was unchanged at $430-$465/st FOB in California, depending on grade, with rail-DEL offers in Northern California reported at a low of $420/st on a spot basis.
Pacific Northwest:
The ammonium sulfate market softened to $345-$400/st FOB or DEL in the Pacific Northwest, depending on grade and supplier.
Western Canada:
Ammonium sulfate prices in Western Canada fell to C$450-$460/mt DEL for July-August shipment, down from the previous C$510-$520/mt DEL range.
China:
Sources previously expected the bump in June caprolactam-grade amsul pricing to flatten into July. Instead, the price took another jump. Prices for caprolactam-grade settled at $115-$120/mt FOB for the week, while other grades were quoted as high as $125-$130/mt FOB.
Sources put part of the pricing increase to stepped-up domestic demand. One contact noted that steel-grade amsul, typically cheap compared to caprolactam-grade product, is going at rates above caprolactam-grade material due to strong demand for any version of the product. One of the driving forces seems to be the mining and processing of rare-earth metals in China, sources said.
Brazil:
Higher international market prices and increased demand in Brazil have combined to lift the landed price to $165-$170/mt CFR. This price is expected to be surpassed next week. Late-week offers were already in the $180s/mt CFR, and sources believed that $190/mt CFR could be achieved soon.
Rondonopolis amsul prices firmed to $295-$325/mt FOB ex-warehouse. The increase prompted some sellers to drop their price lists in favor of spot trades, to better deal with the volatile market.