Americas top stories: weekly summary

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Here are the top stories from ICIS News from the week ended 20 July:

North America TiO2 pricing power may wane in second half of year
Sentiment among domestic buyers of North America titanium dioxide(TiO2) is that pricing power is weaker already in the third quarter and will continue to diminish as supply strain continues to ease.

BP lifts force majeure on US acetic acid after three months
BP lifted its force majeure for US acetic acid on Monday, nearly three months after issuing the declaration because of equipment issues by a carbon monoxide supplier.

Shin-Etsu begins constructing first phase of US PVC expansion
Japan’s Shin-Etsu Chemical said on Tuesday that its US-based Shintech subsidiary has begun construction on the first phase of a new integrated plant to produce polyvinyl chloride (PVC) at Plaquemine, Louisiana.

Dow lifts force majeure on N America VAM but not globally
Dow Chemical lifted its force majeure for vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) on Wednesday in North America but left it in place for other global regions.

ACC requests US to remove $2.2bn worth of chems, plastics from proposed China tariffs
US President Donald Trump’s administration risks losing thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in chemical investments by not excluding $2.2bn worth of chemicals and plastic products from its second list of tariffs against China, a senior American Chemistry Council (ACC) official testified on Wednesday.

ExxonMobil new US Baytown cracker begins operating
A new 1.5m tonne/year ethane cracker at ExxonMobil’s complex in Baytown, Texas has begun operations, the company said on Thursday.

Formosa to shutter Delaware specialty PVC plant
Formosa Plastics USA said on Friday that it is closing a specialty polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin plant in Delaware at the end of September and will decommission the site by year-end.

US July propylene contracts roll over in more balanced market
US July propylene contracts settled for a majority of the market at a rollover from the prior month, although one seller did not accept the settlement, market sources said on Friday.