Propane prices improved for the second straight week at both Conway and Mont Belvieu and are nearly back at the same level they had in the second week of January. Although ethane prices also improved at both hubs, natural gas liquid (NGL) prices were largely down in most other cases.

Mont Belvieu propane was up 4% to US$1.35 this week, the second-highest price at the hub in 15 months. The Conway price for propane also finished the week at $1.35, after a 3% improvement. The final day of trading saw prices close on the $1.40 threshold at both hubs.

Pure ethane prices spent much of the week at 80¢ at Mont Belvieu, but averaged 77¢ for the week due to ethane mixtures dragging the price down slightly. Conway ethane’s price increase was very small with the price largely remaining at 66¢.

Conway iso-butane was the only other NGL to experience a price increase besides ethane and propane at either hub. However, the 6% price increase $1.88 represented a very quiet trading week at the hub for the NGL as it came on a single trading day.

The price does represent the highest price for iso-butane at Kansas since the first week of September 2008. Texas iso-butane was down 2% to $1.72, its second lowest price at the hub in six weeks.

Butane prices had the largest drops at both hubs this week with the Conway price falling 7% to $1.46 and the Mont Belvieu price dropping 4% to $1.54. The Conway price was the lowest it has been since the week of Nov. 11 when the price was $1.32.

C5+ was down 2% at both Conway and Mont Belvieu this week with the Kansas price falling behind iso-butane for the first time since the final week of March 2009. The $1.78 price is the lowest at Conway since the second of December 2009. The Texas price was $1.81, the lowest price at the hub since the start of the year. – Frank Nieto

Mont Belvieu

Eth

Pro

Norm

Iso

Pen+

NGL Bbl

Jan. 27 - Feb. 2, '10

76.89

134.82

154.03

172.10

180.63

$52.82

Jan. 20 - 26, '10

76.30

127.98

162.75

176.60

184.80

$52.78

Jan. 13 - 19, '10

70.06

121.73

151.55

168.35

184.90

$50.27

Jan. 6 - 12, '10

77.74

138.16

164.54

177.78

188.44

$54.58

January '10

75.37

131.28

159.64

174.61

185.66

$52.87

December '09

69.89

119.18

148.38

161.07

169.94

$48.56

4th Qtr '09

63.50

109.05

137.54

148.17

163.79

$45.04

3rd Qtr '09

45.50

86.12

111.18

120.26

141.22

$35.89

2nd Qtr '09

42.57

72.86

93.51

110.48

121.23

$31.31

1st Qtr '09

34.95

67.68

86.84

96.51

95.61

$27.06

Jan. 28 - Feb. 3, '09

34.44

72.84

98.27

111.12

96.73

$28.66

Conway, Group 140

Eth

Pro

Norm

Iso

Pen+

NGL Bbl

Jan. 27 - Feb. 2, '10

65.80

134.86

145.50

188.00

177.63

$51.55

Jan. 20 - 26, '10

65.65

129.32

158.93

174.58

183.30

$51.60

Jan. 13 - 19, '10

60.93

118.53

148.88

159.57

184.93

$48.72

Jan. 6 - 12, '10

70.56

135.33

164.33

173.50

189.48

$53.79

January '10

66.68

130.30

157.66

172.77

184.33

$51.84

December '09

62.48

122.31

157.25

157.47

175.69

$49.18

4th Qtr '09

52.71

109.26

140.03

145.23

169.77

$44.39

3rd Qtr '09

29.45

70.72

94.56

111.50

142.41

$30.85

2nd Qtr '09

29.03

71.00

77.13

99.66

120.28

$28.09

1st Qtr '09

26.39

71.71

73.48

88.52

95.02

$25.53

Jan. 28 - Feb. 3, '09

26.15

83.72

86.23

87.00

88.00

$27.07

Data Provided by Intercontinental Exchange. Individual product prices in cents per gallon.

NGL barrel in $/42 gallons