Industry News
Chemical Industry News
Plant status: China’s Qixiang Tengda Chemical shuts PO plant for maintenance
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Qixiang Tengda Chemical Location: Shandong province, China Product: Propylene oxide (PO) Capacity (tonnes/year): 300,000 Event start: Around 14...
Oil prices fall after US, Iran sign interim peace agreement
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Oil prices fell on Thursday morning, with Brent crude trading at below $79/barrel, after the US and Iran signed an interim deal to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz....
China major producers’ polyolefin inventories down on improved buying
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--The combined polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) inventories of Chinese state-owned petrochemical giants Sinopec and PetroChina continued falling on improved buying appetite,...
INSIGHT: China’s ethylene competitiveness to strengthen under new decarbonization policy, delaying global market rebalancing
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), together with relevant government agencies, issued the Notice on Launching a Three-Year Action Plan for Energy Efficiency...
Plant status: China’s ZPC postpones No 1 MEG unit restart plan
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Zhejiang Petroleum & Chemical (ZPC) Location: Zhejiang, China Product: Monoethylene glycol (MEG) Capacity (tonnes/year): 750,000 (No 1)...
INSIGHT: China May economic activity weakens further as focus shifts to demand fragility
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s May economic data signaled a further deterioration in domestic demand, shifting petrochemical market focus toward consumption trends as feedstock supplies are poised to...
Chemists achieve breakthrough: Editing molecules instead of rebuilding them
For more than a hundred years, chemists have been building complex molecules step by step – bond by bond, atom by atom. But what if, instead of painstakingly reassembling molecules, they could be directly "rewritten"?
Extending cryo-electron microscopy beyond water
From paints and inks to catalysts and drug-delivery materials, many advanced technologies rely on substances dispersed in organic solvents. Yet directly observing these materials in their native liquid environments has remained a major challenge, limiting
On the trail of the missing hydrogen atoms
To simulate the properties of materials, researchers use crystal structures of materials stored in databases. Often, however, these lack the positions of the hydrogen atoms. Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have now trained
UPDATE: Trump says from G7 meeting that ceasefire MoU signed with Iran and in effect
US-Iran ceasefire is in place with further talks likely in Geneva next MoU outlines open Strait of Hormuz during 60-day ceasefire SINGAPORE (ICIS)--US President Donald Trump said he has signed a...
Brazil lowered benchmark rate by quarter point
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Brazil's central bank lowered the nation's benchmark Selic interest rate by a quarter point to 14.25%, it said on Wednesday. Forecasts for inflation indicate that it could fall to...
Warnings remain in effect for Texas, Louisiana as Tropical Storm Arthur moves inland
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Tropical Storm Arthur made landfall on Wednesday afternoon and is expected to move farther inland across southeast Texas overnight, according to the latest update from the National...
Tropical Storm Arthur impacts on US Gulf plants likely short-lived
First named storm of 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season brings rain, wind Pilot services suspended at Sabine Pass, Golden Pass Storm forecast to move on before end of week HOUSTON (ICIS)--The first named...
NYMEX: US gas futures unphased by first named Atlantic storm of the season
Front-month US natural gas futures closed lower on 17 June as short-term weather forecasts shifted to the milder side, weakening the power demand outlook The July Henry Hub contract on NYMEX settled...
US gasoline supplies fall as demand increases
HOUSTON (ICIS)--US gasoline supplies fell during the week ended 12 June, as demand increased. Gasoline stocks declined week on week, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA)....
New Fed chairman notes uneven financial conditions amid high inflation
HOUSTON (ICIS)--The new chairman of the Federal Reserve noted uneven financial conditions and reaffirmed the central bank's commitment to price stability amid a long stretch of elevated inflation....
Asia-US container rates face upward pressure; falling fuel costs could cap increases
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Rates for shipping containers from Asia to the US continue to face upward pressure amid an early start to peak season and the pulling forward of volumes to be new tariffs, but lower...
CRUDE SUMMARY: Crude downward trajectory limited by fall in US crude stocks, IEA 2027 forecast
Oil pared losses on Wednesday following 8.29 million barrel drawdown in US Doubts intensify as Trump says ceasefire still not finalized IEA points to supply surplus and demand uptick in 2027 LONDON...
US Fed holds rates steady, lowers GDP forecast, raises inflation projection
HOUSTON (ICIS)--The US Federal Reserve held its key interest rate benchmark steady on Wednesday, at 3.5-3.75%, while lowering its GDP forecast for 2026 and raising its inflation projection for the...
N America chemical rail traffic falls 5.5%, first decline in seven weeks
HOUSTON (ICIS)--North American chemical railcar loadings of 46,379 for the week ended 13 June were down 5.5% year on year, marking a first decline following six consecutive increases, according to...