Industry News
Chemical Industry News
SHIPPING: Asia-US container rates surge on frontloading during tariff pause
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Asia-US container rates surged this week as trade between the US and China is expected to surge amid the 90-pause on reciprocal tariffs between the two nations. Rates from online...
Fresh terminal trading of US UAN volumes concluded with prices rising again slightly
HOUSTON (ICIS)--There was fresh US urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) terminal business this week with prices rising again slightly and comes as farmers continue to make substantial progress on their...
LatAm PE domestic, international prices steady on stable demand, ample supply
SAO PAULO (ICIS)--Domestic and international polyethylene (PE) prices were assessed as steady this week across the region. US export offers remain competitive and continue to pressure domestic...
LatAm PP domestic, international prices unchanged on sufficient supply, stable to soft demand
SAO PAULO (ICIS)--Domestic and international polypropylene (PP) prices were unchanged this week across Latin American countries. Overall supply remains sufficient to meet a stable-to-soft demand...
US March, April, May PX contracts settle in triple settlement following contentious discussions
HOUSTON (ICIS)--US paraxylene (PX) contracts have settled in a triple settlement for March, April and May. The triple settlement follows contentious discussions between buyers and sellers as rising...
Texas firms expect partial but swift pass through of tariff costs
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Businesses in the chemical-heavy US state of Texas expect a partial but swift pass through of the costs they expect to bear from the nation's tariffs, the Federal Reserve Bank of...
NYMEX: US natural gas futures fall on limited demand to close out week
US natural gas futures fell again on 16 May, as a limited demand outlook along with higher storage volumes continued to weigh on the Henry Hub benchmark The June ’25 front-month contract settled at...
LOGISTICS: River levels, tariff uncertainty leads to delays, price pressure on inland freight rates
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Participants in chemical markets are seeing upward pressure on inland freight rates and longer lead times for deliveries as a few factors have combined to pressure supply chains. A...
Plant status: Citgo has benzene leak at US cumene unit
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Citgo Location: Corpus Christi, Texas Product: Cumene Capacity (tonnes/year): 680,000 Event start: 15 May Event finish: 15 May Reason: Benzene...
CRUDE SUMMARY: Crude benchmark up as trade optimism vies with supply-side concerns
Optimism due to agreement between US and China continues to provide upside for oil prices Fears of saturated market limit how much prices have increased US-Iran deal would bring even more crude to...
US consumer sentiment continues to worsen amid tariff and inflation concerns
HOUSTON (ICIS)--US consumer sentiment continued to deteriorate in May, following four consecutive months of steep declines, according to preliminary results of the University of Michigan’s latest...
Mexico’s central bank cuts rates to 8.50% amid ‘significant’ downward risks
SAO PAULO (ICIS)--Mexico’s central bank cut interest rates by 50 basis points to 8.50% as its concerns turn to poor growth rather than inflation, which continues to fall towards the 3% target...
APIC ’25: Petrochemical demand may ramp up as US lifts Syrian sanctions
BANGKOK (ICIS)--Petrochemical demand may increase in the medium-term following the recent announcement that the US will lifts its sanctions on Syria by US President Donald Trump, as construction...
APIC ’25: SE Asia C3 consumption to slow as supply grows
BANGKOK (ICIS)--Asian propylene (C3) consumption is generally expected to slow from 2025 to 2030 while supply continues to increase. This gradual change in the market's supply demand balance remains...
Canada manufacturing capacity utilization jumps in March, chems flat
TORONTO (ICIS)--Capacity utilization in Canada’s manufacturing sector rose by 3.0 percentage points from February to March, but utilization in the chemical industry remained unchanged, according to...
APIC ’25: Plant status: Indonesia’s Pertamina delays start-up for Balikpapan RFCC – source
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Pertamina Location: Balikpapan, Indonesia Product: Propylene Capacity (tonnes/year): 230,000 Event start: H1 2026 Reason: Start-up Comments: The...
Europe PTA market on high alert as Asia and shipping turn bullish
LONDON (ICIS)--The purified terephthalic acid (PTA) market in Europe is in a state of high alert, as momentum builds on dynamic freight conditions and higher prices in the Asian value chain. The...
Europe methanol spot prices see first increase since March
LONDON (ICIS)--European methanol spot prices rose for the first time since March with the ICIS mid-point up by 2% from the previous week. Spot physical trading seen in the week on an FOB Rotterdam...
APIC ’25: South Korea mulls petchem rationalization as regional supply lengthens
BANGKOK (ICIS)--South Korean petrochemical market participants said on the sidelines of the Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference (APIC) 2025 that rationalization at South Korean plants could be on...
Plant Status: Lotte declares FM on EG at Lake Charles, Louisiana after failed restart
LONDON (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Lotte Location: Lake Charles, Louisiana, US Product: Ethylene glycols (EG) Capacity (tonnes/year): 800,000 Event start: 15 May Event finish:...