Editor Lane Kelley, lane.kelley@icis.com

   NOTE: For full details on the criteria ICIS pricing uses in making these price assessments visit www.icispricing.com and click on “methodology”.

US acetic acid FOB export prices held their perch during the week ended 9 March, according to market sources.

Lower feedstock costs provided little or no impetus for higher prices, a source said.

In feedstocks, NYMEX front-month natural gas futures closed at $4.51/MMBtu, down about 4% from a close of $4.71/MMBtu a week earlier. US methanol spot barge prices continued expanding the range toward the low side, to 92-97 cents/gal.

In South America, operations continued at the 3.8m tonne/year Methanex facility in southern Chile and were unaffected by the earthquake that struck the country on 27 February, a company spokesperson said.

In Venezuela, it was unclear whether the 770,000 tonne/year Supermetanol production plant had begun a planned month-long turnaround for March.

Downstream, spot prices for US vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) notched up 10%, or 4-5 cents/lb higher, in response to surging feedstock costs, sources said.

VAM spot prices rose to $850-950/tonne €621-694/tonne) from a previous range of $765-865/tonne, largely on the recent run-up in ethylene, which accounts for roughly 40% of the monomer's price.

($1= €0.73)

This week on ICIS news ( www.icis.com ):

08-Mar-10 07:56 BP YPC delays Nanjing acetic acid plant start-up to April

06-Mar-10 00:11 Dow nominates April US solvents increases on feedstock pressure

05-Mar-10 16:35 Butyl acetate prices rise on snug European feedstock supplies

05-Mar-10 14:53 INEOS shuts Hull VAM unit after fire, restart due on 20 March

03-Mar-10 15:34 Oxea extends sales control on Americas solvents