Current situation:

• Producer prices for HDPE pipe were down 0.9% M/M (down 0.7% last month) and were down 3.8% Y/Y (down 4.5% Y/Y last month).  Plastic pipe fittings and unions were up 0.3% M/M (unchanged last month) and were up 3.6% Y/Y (up 3.7% last month). 
• The HDPE industry is still expected to grow at a 3.8% CAGR from 2019-2024 according to Lucintel. 

Key factors that could affect supply or price:

• Business remained strong in December for pipe producers. Resin pricing backtracked $.01lb, so they’re trying to make up for it in January by announcing a $.03lb increase, and they have already announced another $.03lb increase for February.  All that said, the pipe producers, for the most part, have not seen real increases in prices yet, but with the resin producers pushing increases, certainly some of the those will eventually find their way into pipe pricing.