Asian LPG markets remained weak into early October, extending the bearish tone seen through late September. The front FEI spread slipped further into contango, with the Nov/Dec structure falling from -$1.50/mt on 26 Sep to around -$9.50/mt on 08 Oct, marking a seasonal low. The outright Nov’25 C3 FEI also lost ground, dropping from $555/mt to $506/mt over the same period, as trade houses and hedge funds continued to unwind length against Onyx. Freight continues to be weak, to the chagrin of the FEI. M1 BLPG1 (Middle East–Japan) rate fell about 8% w/w to $63/mt as of 07 Oct, down from $68.5/mt on 03 Oct, making it cheaper to move propane cargoes eastward. Similarly, BLPG3 (US Gulf Coast–Asia) weakened from $151/mt on 12 Sep to $129/mt on 07 Oct, supporting the M1 C3 LST/FEI differential, which firmed from -$172/mt on 24 Sep to -$150/mt.
This weakness in FEI has helped support the LST/FEI differential. Nov’25 rose from -$180/mt on 24 Sep to -$153/mt at the time of writing on 08 Oct, with -$150/mt proving fairly firm resistance on 07 Oct. The diff is close to its seasonal high and almost $100/mt above this time last year. Open interest in the contract rose 46% from 22 Sep to 03 Oct to 5.83mb before easing by 200kb d/d, while net positioning against Onyx increased from +1.46mb to +2.29mb over the same period before slipping to +1.96mb on 07 Oct, in line with 90-day long positions turning profitable by about $10.65/mt.
The Nov’25 US Mont Belvieu TET propane (C3 LST) fell from a high of 73.875c/gal on 26 Sep to a low of 67.125c/gal on 07 Oct, before recovering slightly to 68.000c/gal on 08 Oct. Open interest increased by 17% between 22 Sep and 03 Oct before easing by around 300kb day-on-day. Net positioning turned more negative, falling from -920kb to -1.625mb, as trade houses and hedge funds continued to sell the outright contract, with hedge funds also shorting the front spread. C3 LST shorts remain profitable, adding to sell-side risk, while high inventories continue to weigh on fundamentals. According to the US EIA, propane and propylene stocks rose 3.5% w/w to 103.38 mb as of 03 Oct, standing 12.9% above the five-year average. Inventories are up 5.5 mb year-on-year, with the Gulf Coast 20.2% above its five-year norm, reflecting strong domestic production and exports despite the approach of seasonal draws.
The Saudi Aramco Contract Price for propane (C3 CP) remained under pressure following the low Oct’25 settlement, with the Nov’25 contract opening just below $500/mt on 01 Oct, dipping to $453/mt on 02 Oct, and stabilising around $477/mt on 08 Oct. The front spread held near -$8.00/mt, supported above the 50-day moving average, while open interest fluctuated, falling early in October before rebounding as trade houses and majors added to outright length. Meanwhile, the Nov’25 C3 FEI/CP spread eased from $48/mt on 01 Oct to $32/mt on 08 Oct, with resistance around $60/mt and support near $26.50/mt. Overall, momentum indicators have turned bearish in the diff.