Europe top stories: weekly summary

LONDON (ICIS)–Here are some of the top stories from ICIS Europe for the week ended 2 August.

Europe HDPE spot prices still under pressure as imports increase
High density polyethylene (HDPE) spot prices have fallen sharply in recent weeks in Europe, and sentiment is still weak

Arkema Q2 profits fall but impending acquisitions could buoy H2
.Despite the downturn in Arkema’s second quarter net profit, CEO Thierry Le Henaff said that the company is confident in its ability to achieve another good year, as part of the results announcement on Thursday.

Europe ETBE prices fall, but firm premium encourages production
European ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE) prices fell $18/tonne last week, tracking falling methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) values, as ETBE production rates began to increase.

Europe PVC prices firm slightly against feedstocks as sellers offset caustic drop
European polyvinyl chloride (PVC) contract prices for July were settled with decreases in line with or slightly smaller than the cost reduction from feedstocks, as a result of a balanced market between supply and demand, and attempts to offset decreases in caustic soda.