Olefin prices steady despite higher feedstock, production costs.

The article reports that higher feedstock prices and production costs did not affect olefin prices in the U.S. Gulf Coast market between February and May 2016, when propane prices, natural gas prices and spot prices for ethylene all posted price increases. Topics discussed include the state of U.S. ethylene production based on data from Petral Consulting, the hike to about 47 dollars per barrel in prices of spot prices for ethylene feedstock, and trends in olefin-plant operating rates.