CW Research sees global cement trade prices increase 5.9% in 2013

Quarterly update to analysis of 97 million tons of traded volumes in 2013, indicates improvement in FOB cement prices for the year.

Based on CW ResearchÔÇÖ cement trade pricing universe covered in the quarterly Global Cement Trade Price Report, which represents 97.0 million tons of traded volumes in 2013, the average global FOB gray cement price hovered between US$76 - US$77 per ton in 2013 with peak levels of US$81 per ton reached in June and October. Between December 2012 and estimates for December 2013, gray FOB cement prices worldwide increased by almost 6%, even as prices weakened somewhat from the summer peak.

The Asia-Pacific-Japan region, representing 45.9 million tons of exported volume, continues to generally export gray cement at the lowest FOB prices worldwide. After the early part of the year remained comparable to the Mediterranean region, Asia-Pacific-Japan registered a marked decline in FOB cement prices, closing as a region the third quarter of 2013 in the mid-50s per ton.

In Europe, the Western region noted the highest gray cement FOB exporting prices per ton on a volume of 8.8 million tons through the end of October. Following a seasonal pattern, yearly peaks are usually during the warmer months; the highest FOB cement price of 2013 was reported in May at US$101 per ton, on a volume of 0.89 million tons, while the minimum of the period was touched in September 2013 at US$88 per ton on a volume of 0.93 million tons.

North America & Caribbean region reflected a stable environment in 2013. FOB gray cement exporting prices available for the first eight months of 2013 with 3.0 million tons of cement traded and 1.2 million tons of clinker. South America reported some of the highest gray cement FOB prices in the world, largely above US$100 per ton, but on more muted volumes as these were marginal trades in the in-land regions largely.

For the 4Q2013, the CW Group's Global Cement Trade Price Report (GCTPR) forecasts that cement prices for key regions will remain largely flat. Nonetheless, for regions like Eastern Europe, CW research expects that prices will carry momentum into the first quarter, weather permitting. As regions on the whole, main export centers Asia Pacific-Japan and the Mediterranean basin are expected to continue trading side-ways in the near term.

For a complete table of contents of the report, please visit the CW Research website here.