Europe top stories: weekly summary

LONDON (ICIS)–Here are some of the top stories from ICIS Europe for the week ended 25 April.

INSIGHT: Europe chems players move to the side lines on tariff upheaval
The market volatility following the intensification of tariff threats has cast a pall over European chemicals sector activity, with players avoiding committing to long-term orders if possible in the face of demand uncertainty and currency volatility.

TotalEnergies to shut oldest Antwerp cracker due to oversupply in Europe
TotalEnergies will turn off its oldest steam cracker in Antwerp, Belgium by the end of 2027, the producer announced on Tuesday.

Tariff fears slow eurozone private sector growth in April
Fears over the impact of tariffs on trade slowed private sector momentum in the eurozone and pushed the UK sector back into contraction as new orders slowed and confidence waned across Europe.

Dow expands Europe asset review, delays Canada cracker project
Dow is to widen its strategic review of European assets and delay work on its planned Canada net-zero cracker project on the heels of a first-quarter net loss.

INSIGHT: Pricing gap between Europe and other regions continues to widen
Ever since the announcement of a series of tariffs against selected countries from the US, the eyes of chemicals market players have been firmly fixed on how trade patterns will evolve between key regions such as northeast Asia, northwest Europe and the US Gulf.