Industry News
Chemical Industry News
Supersolid spins into synchrony
Supersolids, a state of matter that combines the rigidity of a solid with the frictionless flow of a superfluid, exhibit surprising synchronization when rotated. Innsbruck researchers found that quantum vortices—tiny whirlpools in the quantum fluid—
Asia MX might see tailwinds from sanctions-driven upstream gains, demand pick-up
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Mixed xylenes (MX) in Asia are poised to receive support in consumption going forward in November, as healthier-than-expected gasoline demand drives appetite for octane-boosting...
Plant status: China’s Shanghai Huayi shuts etac plant for turnaround
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Shanghai Huayi Chemical Location: Wuwei, Anhui, China Product: Ethyl acetate (etac) Capacity (tonnes/year): 200,000 Event start: 26 October 2025...
US signs trade deals with four ASEAN countries
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--The US on 26 October signed trade and critical mineral cooperation agreements with four southeast Asian partners - Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam - in an effort to...
Asian PC demand to stay slow; oversupply weighs on market
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Asia's polycarbonate (PC) market will remain weak due to ample supplies and economic uncertainty from US tariffs. Taiwan's import price of optical-grade PC at over five-year low...
China’s average PX plants’ run rate flat on stable operations
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s para-xylene (PX) plants posted an unchanged average operating rate on stable operations at online plants. In the week ended 24 October, the plants’ average run rate...
China’s average PTA plants’ run rate rises further on operation hikes
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plants posted a higher average operating rate, because a few plants were running at slightly higher rates. In the week ended 24 October,...
Plant status: China’s Fujian Refining & Petrochemical restarts MEG unit
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Fujian Refining & Petrochemical (FREP) Location: Quanzhou, Fujian, China Product: Monoethylene glycol (MEG) Capacity (tonnes/year): 400,000...
India rescinds BIS implementation for ACN, SM and MA
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--The Quality Control Order under the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for acrylonitrile (ACN), styrene monomer (SM) and maleic anhydride (MA) has been retracted on 24 October 2025...
Oil prices rise on US-China trade deal framework
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Oil prices rose on Monday after US and Chinese economic officials established a framework for a trade deal that eased global economic growth concerns. in $/barrel (at 01:57 GMT)...
Global AS activity continues at a lighter overall pace with values mixed
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Global ammonium sulphate (AS) activity is maintaining a lighter pace with softer demand persisting which has left values mixed across the regions. While China prices rose further,...
NYMEX: US gas futures edge down on lower LNG feedgas nominations
Front-month US natural gas futures dipped slightly on 24 October, as feedgas demand retreated along with mixed weather demand signals The November Henry Hub contract on NYMEX settled at $3.304/MMBtu,...
Asia-US container rates rise as carriers tighten capacity, push through increases
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Rates for shipping containers from east Asia and China to the US rose this week as carriers successfully tightened capacity through blank sailing and pushed through general rate...
US starts investigation of China’s compliance with 2020 trade deal
HOUSTON (ICIS)--The US has started investigating China's compliance with the trade deal the two countries signed in 2020, the US Trade Representative (USTR) said on Friday. The US is conducting the...
Europe P-series glycol ethers steady at five-year low, E-series edges down
LONDON (ICIS)--Europe prices for E-series glycol ethers edged down on the high ends this week, while P-series prices stayed flat at five-year lows in well supplied markets. The high ends of the...
Europe PS contract prices for October decrease a seventh consecutive month
LONDON (ICIS)--October contract prices have decreased €50/tonne in the European polystyrene (PS) market, mainly driven by the similar €51/tonne contract price decrease for upstream styrene....
Europe EPS October contract prices decrease for seventh month
LONDON (ICIS)--Contract prices for October in the European expandable polystyrene (EPS) market have been assessed with a €45/tonne decrease, mainly driven by the upstream...
CRUDE SUMMARY: Benchmark crude prices on track for weekly gain on fresh sanctions against Russia
Market eyes impact of US sanctions against Russia on global crude flows Indian buyers move away from Russian crude Ekofisk outage said to be having minimal impact on crude production US oil rig count...
Europe ABS October contract prices decrease for seventh month
LONDON (ICIS)--October contract prices in the European acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) market have been assessed with a €30/tonne decrease, driven by feedstock movements including...
Canada September manufacturing sales estimated up 2.8%
TORONTO (ICIS)--Canada’s manufacturing sales increased 2.8% month on month in September, according to a preliminary estimate by federal agency Statistics Canada (StatsCan). The largest...