Industry News
Chemical Industry News
China’s Dushanzi completes construction of Tarim phase 2 ethylene plant
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--PetroChina Dushanzi Petrochemical has achieved mechanical completion of a 1.2 million tonne/year phase 2 ethylene plant in Tarim, Xinjiang, the company announced. The project,...
Plant status: China’s Bora LyondellBasell shuts SM plant
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Bora LyondellBasell Petrochemical Location: Liaoning, China Product: Styrene monomer (SM) Capacity (tonnes/year): 350,000 Event start: 15 May...
East China acetone inventories up by 30% to 21,500 tonnes
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Acetone inventories at Jiangsu ports in east China have increased to 21,500 tonnes in the week ended 22 May, ICIS data showed on Friday. The inventories were up by 30% from 16,500...
Japan’s April core inflation slows to four-year low on government subsidies
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Japan’s core consumer price index (CPI), which excludes volatile fresh food costs, rose by 1.4% year on year in April, slowing from March’s 1.8% increase as fuel subsidies...
Plant status: China’s CNOOC Dongfang running SM plant at 100%
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: CNOOC Dongfang Petrochemical Location: Hainan, China Product: Styrene monomer (SM) Capacity (tonnes/year): 120,000 Event start: 26 March 2026...
Asia LAB sulphonate market softer amid LAB downward drift
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--The Asia linear alkyl benzene sulphonate (LAS) market continued to drift lower in the week ended 20 May, amid the retreat in the upstream linear alkyl benzene (LAB) sector. With the...
East China MEG inventories fall further on limited imports
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Monoethylene glycol (MEG) inventories in east China decreased to 674,000 tonnes on 22 May, down by around 2% from 15 May, ICIS data showed, largely due to limited import arrivals....
Plant status: China’s Wanhua Petrochemical shuts its BPA lines
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Wanhua Petrochemical Location: Yantai, Shandong province, China Product: Bisphenol A (BPA) Capacity (tonnes/year): 576,000 (No 1 and No 2 lines...
INSIGHT: China blendstocks face weak domestic demand, brisk exports
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Blending components such as methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and toluene in China are showing divergent demand trends in domestic and export markets amid global geopolitical...
Oil rises on US-Iran deal uncertainty; Brent crude up by more than $2/bbl
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Oil prices rose in early trade on Friday on uncertainty over a breakthrough in US-Iran peace talks, with the two countries remaining at odds over Tehran's uranium stockpile and...
TiO2 spot indicative price extends stable run to third week
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Titanium dioxide (TiO2) spot indicative prices in Asia were stable so far on Friday. While offer range widened, most market players saw the mainstream talks at $2,500-2,600/tonne...
US House committee rolls railway safety legislation into BUILD America 250 Act
HOUSTON (ICIS)--A US House of Representatives committee voted to include the Railway Safety Act in the BUILD America 250 Act, a move lauded by a chemical industry trade group and opposed by the group...
WEEK 21 ICIS EUROPEAN BIOMETHANE MARKETS: Dutch blending obligation remains key point focus for market, THG shows slight drop but remains quiet while FuelEU for 2026 discussions begin
Additional reporting by Alice Casagni, Andrea Battaglia, Jake Stones and Marko Tymoshchuk Subscriber notice: This following content is part of a draft report that ICIS is distributing regularly for...
ICIS Economic Outlook: High crude oil, rising inflation threaten US GDP growth
NEW YORK (ICIS)--The resilience of the US economy will be put to the test as persistently high crude oil prices from the ongoing Middle East crisis fuel inflation and push Treasury yields higher. US...
NYMEX: US gas futures up slightly despite increased storage build
US natural gas futures rose on 21 May, despite a storage build that pushed gas stocks higher above the five-year average The June ’26 front-month contract settled at $3.018/MMBtu, up nearly 0.5%...
Europe SAN contract prices increase for May
LONDON (ICIS)--Styrene acrylonitrile (SAN) contract prices have increased €90/tonne in May, driven by feedstock price movements including the €55/tonne styrene increase and the €168/tonne...
US Philadelphia region manufacturing weakens in May, after four months of expansion
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Manufacturing activity in the broader Philadelphia region weakened in May after four consecutive months of expansion, according to the latest “Manufacturing Business Outlook...
CRUDE SUMMARY: Crude prices volatile on mixed reports regarding US-Iran peace talks
Reports Iran will not send enriched uranium out of the country complicating peace talks IEA and ADNOC leaders suggest worsening impact of US-Iran war on global oil market OPEC+ expected to increase...
Europe capro faces mounting cost pressure as impact of the Middle East conflict ripples through chain
LONDON (ICIS)--European caprolactam (capro) market is entering the mid-year period under ongoing cost pressure and heightened risk of downstream demand destruction with concerns around affordability...
Europe Melamine May contract prices assessed stable-to-firm; spot prices soften on improved import supply outlook
LONDON (ICIS)--European melamine May contracts have been assessed stable to firm as the market straddles high production costs and affordability constraints within a challenging environment. European...