February US ethylene contract prices were settled 2.75 cents/lb lower on the month at 30 cents/lb ($661/mt), sources said Friday. The settlement fell within market expectations, which recently called for a decrease of between 2-4 cent/lb, sources said. Those expectations were driven by a decrease in demand -- particularly from the polyethylene market -- amid [...]
National Coatings Industry Information Center news, in 2017 China's paint production for the first time exceeded 20 million tons mark, reaching 20.41 million tons, compared with 18.172 million tons，adjusted production in 2016 industry , it has an increase of 12.3%. During the same period, the total export volume of paint products in China was 201,000 [...]
Since 2017, the prices of the main raw materials for coatings have risen sharply. Since January 2017, the price of liquid epoxy resin has increased by 82%, the price of titanium dioxide has increased by 68%, the price of zinc powder has increased by 104%, and the price is still rising. Sherwin has made every [...]
A late burst of wintry weather in Northwest Europe is giving trading in the inland spot market for propane a boost after a season of lower-than-expected demand, according to market sources. "German middle men are covering as I think we all thought winter was done," a market source said. That has resulted in more spot buying, with [...]
Looking back to the domestic MMA market in 2017, the overall ten-month rise is encouraging.In the first half of 2017, there were a series of overhauls and force majeure events in MMA installations. As a result of the combination of the two factors, global MMA supply is short and the panic of short supply spread [...]
US propylene production totaled 8.352 billion lb in the fourth quarter of 2017, up more than 530 million lb from the Q3 total of 7.822 billion lb, data from the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers showed Wednesday. Fourth quarter production was up 452 million lb from Q4 2016 output of almost 7.90 billion lb, according [...]
Prices of toluene in Asia recently showed a rapid sharp rise in the trend. Up to the close on the 26th, FOB Korea toluene prices closed at 756.5 US dollars / ton, up 61.5 US dollars/ton than the previous month , reached an increase of 8.85%. There are two main reasons for this: On the [...]
US spot polymer-grade propylene prices continued to edge lower Monday, shedding an additional 9.4% from Friday's assessment amid continued talk of improving supply and weaker demand from downstream producers. S&P Global Platts assessed prompt-month PGP at 57.5-58 cents/lb ($1,267.65-$1,278.67/mt) FD USG, down 6 cents/lb from Friday, while the forward month was assessed at 57.25-57.75 cents/lb, [...]
The MEG market is balanced after consecutive price increases in recent weeks on strong demand for both anti-freeze and PET. Some players are expecting an increase in the cost of feedstock ethylene when its monthly contract settles, to be passed down to MEG. Caustic soda demand remains healthy in Europe, with prices continuing to trend [...]
Sentiment for the European methanol market moving into February has been positive and seems likely to shore up fundamentals in the week ahead. The Asian market has cooled somewhat as lunar new year approaches and business will likely remain minimal in china until late February. March numbers for EU methanol show [...]
