Asia top stories: weekly summary

SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Here are some of the top stories from ICIS Asia and the Middle East for the week ended 19 August 2016.

Asia SBR may face more downward pressure on likely ease in NR supply
Asia styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) prices may face more downward pressure in the coming weeks as buyers hold back their SBR purchases because they expect an ease in natural rubber (NR) supply and lower NR prices, market sources said.

Asia BD prices surge on tight supply; uptrend to sustain
Asian butadiene (BD) spot prices surged during the week because of the tight regional supply and the uptrend is expected to sustain in the near term, market sources said on Friday.

Asia MMA extends gain on snug supply, outlook firm
Asia’s spot prices of methyl methacrylate (MMA) climbed to a fresh high in more than a year, bolstered by a crimped supply overshadowing regional demand scenario, industry sources said.

Singapore’s petchem exports fall by 35% in July; NODX down 10.6%
Singapore’s exports of petrochemicals slumped by 35% year on year to Singapore dollar (S$) 997.5m ($744m) in July, tracking the overall decline in non-oil domestic exports (NODX), official data showed on Wednesday.

Above-average imports dampen China phenol outlook
Above-average imports and softer downstream demand may offset the drop in domestic supply and limit the upside to China phenol prices, importers said on Monday.