Global cement trade prices increase 5.9% in 2014 according to CW Research

NEW YORK - Feb. 19, 2014 - PRLog -- Based on CW Research’ cement trade pricing universe, 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 1Q2014, 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.

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For further information or to arrange an interview with the analyst, please contact Raluca Neagu, Market Services & Marketing Consultant at the CW Group at either rn@cwgrp.com, or +40-741-520-372.

For a complete table of contents of the report, please visit the CW Research website: http://research.cwgrp.com/products.

About the Report

The CW Group’s Global Cement Trade Price Report (GCTPR) presents the price evolution of gray cement, white cement and clinker from a regional and global perspective. The report provides country-by-country price per ton (US$) and traded volumes (tons) data on cement trade, including gray and white cement as well as clinker. A set of 53 countries are included in the report for which historical monthly cement price and volume data is provided. Additionally, the report contains a tactical outlook for key trade flows for the coming months.

The CW Group’s Global Cement Trade Price Report (GCTPR) is designed to be a tool for those involved in the global trade of cement, including cement traders, cement exporters, international procurement professionals, consultants, analysis and others that require a data-rich decision support compendium. The 70+ pages long report is distributed on a quarterly basis in hardcopy format together with an Excel spreadsheet, which contains the tactical outlook for ease of use.

About CW Group

The New York-headquartered CW Group is a leading advisory, research and business intelligence boutique aligned along three pillars: Advisory, Research and Business Intelligence. CW Advisory supports senior management in addressing their most challenging strategic, financial and operational issues as well as providing M&A advice. CW Research provides value added industry reports, multi-client studies and business research services. The Business Intelligence pillar is based on rigorous and up-to-date information and data management, providing market updates to our clients in a self-service format through our industry portals. The CW Group has a multi-industry orientation, with particularly recognized sector expertise in cement & heavy building materials, energy & solid fuels (coal and petcoke), mining, and dry bulk cargo markets.