US spot mixed xylene prices fell to a 20-month low Monday at $3.54/gallon ($1,072.62/mt) FOB US Gulf Coast.
Spot prices were last seen lower on June 28, 2012, when assessed at $3.50/gal FOB USG, Platts data showed.
Mixed xylene prices have fallen 30 cents/gal ($90.90/mt) since February 18, when it was priced at $3.84/gal FOB USG.
Industry sources have attributed declines to slowness in downstream paraxylene, the largest market driver of mixed xylene, as domestic and Asian demand has been weak.
Asia, typically dependent on US xylene imports to balance their shortage annually, has pulled little product from the US because of weak demand, sources said.
Market participants expect mixed xylene to have an overall bearish 2014, but said activity could pick up, as demand in further downstream markets strengthens during the bottling season, which happens during the spring and summer months.
The decline from Friday's assessment was 1 cent.
