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 6 October 2017.

Asia BD faces near-term downward pressure on weak sentiment
Spot butadiene (BD) prices in Asia may face heightened downward pressure in the near term, with much lower bids from buyers amid weak market sentiment.

INTERACTIVE: PCG frees up capital for future projects after Aramco deal
Malaysia’s PETRONAS Chemicals Group (PCG) will be freeing up capital for future investments by partnering state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco in its glycols and polymers project in Johor, analysts said.

Asia ex-China Q4 EVA output declines on firm VAM, C2 costs
Supply of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) in Asia excluding China may tighten further in the fourth quarter amid curtailed production at major regional facilities due to firm feedstock costs.

Asia SBR may fall further on plunging BD costs, volatile NR
Spot styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) prices in Asia may fall further because of falling feedstock costs, waning demand and volatility in natural rubber (NR) market.

Southeast Asia IPA may see upside in Q4 on demand
Spot isopropanol (IPA) prices in southeast (SE) Asia are likely to be stable-to-firm in the fourth quarter (Q4), bolstered by strong downstream demand in inks, paints and coatings.

Asia ACN at near 3-year highs; price uptrend may slow down
Asia’s acrylonitrile (ACN) prices have surged 33% over a two-month period to their highest levels in nearly three years, but the uptrend is expected to slow down amid long holidays in the key China and South Korea markets.