Industry News
Chemical Industry News
China’s industrial profit contracts by wider 13% in Nov
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s industrial profit dropped by 13.1% on year in November, widening from October’s 5.5% contraction and the fastest tumbling since September 2024, official data showed....
China’s average run rate of PO plants falls to 67.6% on plant shutdowns
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s propylene oxide (PO) plants posted an average run rate at 67.6% in the week ended 26 December 2025, down by 1.9 percentage points from the last reporting period, ICIS data...
China’s SP Chemicals gets environmental nod on butanol/2-EH, PP project
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s SP Chemicals (Taixing) has obtained environmental approval for a 500,000 tonne/year butanol/2-ethylhexanol (2-EH) and 400,000 tonne/year polypropylene (PP) project at...
OUTLOOK ’26: Asia phthalic anhydride faces ample supply, slow demand
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Asia’s phthalic anhydride (PA) market is poised to enter 2026 with a cautiously stable but supply-lengthened outlook, as China’s output growth continues to outpace downstream...
OUTLOOK ’26: Asia MA faces cost-driven volatility amid mixed demand
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Asia’s maleic anhydride (MA) market is expected to enter 2026 navigating a landscape with a cautiously steady yet supply-lengthened outlook. Shaped by feedstock uncertainty, cost...
OUTLOOK ’26: East, south Asia LAB supply constraints to persist
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Supply constraints in east and south Asia’s linear alkylbenzene (LAB) markets prevalent this year will likely extend into 2026 amid tight availability of feedstock normal...
OUTLOOK ’26: Asia acetic acid producers cutting contract volumes, boosting spot trades
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Asian acetic acid spot liquidity is rising as a reduction in contract shipments to the region’s largest market boosts activity heading into the first quarter of 2026. Contract...
NYMEX: US gas futures rebound ahead of weekend as January contract nears expiry
US natural gas futures gained ground on 26 December, with the Henry Hub front-month climbing nearly 3% from the previous settle on improved weather demand and a rebound to feedgas flows with the...
OUTLOOK ’26: Though separate US TiO2 price increase nominations emerge for early 2026, sluggish demand set to continue
HOUSTON(ICIS)--North American titanium dioxide (TiO2) demand has had a continuous down cycle for close to three years, marking one of the longest downturns in at least two decades. TiO2 contract...
OUTLOOK ’26: After stable supply and declining feedstock prices in 2025, US PG market faces supply challenges in 2026
HOUSTON (ICIS)--After stable supply of propylene glycol (PG) was seen for much of 2025, market participants are cautiously waiting to see how reduced domestic PG production will impact market...
OUTLOOK ’26: Latin American petrochemicals brace for another year of survival
SAO PAULO (ICIS)--If 2025 was supposed to be the year Latin American petrochemicals found a floor, 2026 looks set to test how deep that floor is, and for most producers it will not be about
OUTLOOK ’26: Latin America PET market navigating global oversupply
SAO PAULO (ICIS)--In 2025, the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) market in Latin America faced intense competition from imported material. Although demand exhibited a growing trend, it nevertheless...
Argentina’s consumer confidence falls, inflation expectations remain high
SAO PAULO (ICIS)--Argentina's consumer confidence index declined in December, interrupting the previous months’ momentum, while inflation expectations remained stubbornly high at 34% over the next...
Chile’s growth expected higher on copper prices surge, but fiscal woes remain – bank
SAO PAULO (ICIS)--The increase in copper prices during 2025 is to prop up Chile’s GDP growth in the next two years – the commodity is the country’s key export – although “structural...
China MX prices rebound on downstream PX and polyester momentum
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--The recent rapid rebounds in domestic mixed xylenes (MX) prices have been primarily driven by high paraxylene (PX) production margins and polyester demand. In the short term, low...
OUTLOOK ’26: US PX, PET poised for shifts amid trade and demand mixed dynamics
HOUSTON (ICIS)--US paraxylene (PX) capacity utilization is set to climb in 2026, driven by stronger internal demand and the impact of reciprocal duties on imports. These trade measures are expected...
OUTLOOK ’26: US MMA under pressure from new capacity, flat demand
HOUSTON (ICIS)--US methyl methacrylate (MMA) is facing pricing pressure due to a well-supplied market and little rebound in demand going into 2026. Feedstock refinery-grade propylene (RGP) trading...
China’s average PTA plants’ run rate rebounds on restart of two plants
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plants posted a higher average operating rate, because INEOS Zhuhai’s No 2 plant and Yisheng Ningbo’s 2.2 million tonne/year plant...
China’s average PX plants’ run rate slips on Tianjin Petchem’s turnaround
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s para-xylene (PX) plants have posted a lower average operating rate due to the shutdown maintenance at Tianjin Petrochemical. In the week ended 26 December, the plants’...
OUTLOOK ’26: US methanol expects slow domestic demand, strong exports
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Demand for US methanol in 2026 is expected to remain lackluster as downstream markets face economic challenges, but cost-advantaged production in the US will continue to keep exports...