Methanol:

A simple one carbon alcohol used as a solvent, cleaning agent, and denaturant. With the shale oil revolution in the US, new "low-cost" methanol plants are opening in the US to take advantage of inexpensive feedstocks.

Market Dynamic:

Methanol is used overseas as a fuel additive to gasoline (much like the US uses ethanol). High gasoline prices usually drives higher methanol prices globally.

Upstream Materials/Building Blocks:

Primary :

• Coal* (China)
  
• Natural Gas (US)

*Note: Much of China's coal comes from Australia; in the past, flooding in Australia has impacted coal availability in China.

Other Building Blocks:

• Naphtha
• Refinery Light Gas
• Syngas

Down Stream Consumer of Methanol:

Top three*:

• Acetates
  
• Acetic Acid*
  
• Acetic Anydride
  
• Diketene and Derivatives
  
• Dimethyl Ether
  
• Formaldehyde*
  
• Ketene
  
• Methyl Acetates
  
• Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE)*
  

• Polyvinyl Acetate
• Polyvinyl Alcohol
• PVA
• Urea Formaldehyde Resins
• VAM (Vinyl Acetate)

* Demand fluctuations i can impact pricing and availability of the other materials.

Other materials:

• Chloromethanes
• Dimethyl Ether (DME)
• Dimethyl Terephthalate (DMT)
  
• Gasoline (Fuel Blending)
• Glycol Ethers
• Methanol-to-Olefins (MTO)
• Methanol-to-Propylene (MTP)
• Methyl Methacrylate (MMA)
  
• Methylamines