If you sell, buy or trade benzene or any of its derivatives, you have heard this assertion before: Five-dollar-a-gallon benzene is a reality. It’s here to stay. It’s not a new one. In fact, you probably first heard in early- to mid-2012, or earlier if you are really plugged in, as they say. Benzene prices went on to breach the $5/gallon ($1,495/mt) three times later that year. I once heard one forecaster tell an audience that $5/gallon would be the norm in 2013. I believed him (sort of). Yes, the styrenics chain guys in the room gasped a bit, and I’m pretty sure the other downstream guys (cumene, phenol, cyclohexane and others) would have had similar reactions. If you are unfamiliar with benzene, don’t feel bad. Just know that it is a key building block in the petchems world, that it has applications in everything from food packaging to […]