Asia top stories – weekly summary

SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Here are the top stories from ICIS News Asia and the Middle East for the week ended 15 November 2019.

Asia’s plastics in limbo amid stalled progress in US-China trade war
Asia’s petrochemical markets remain weak amid stalled progress in the US-China trade feud, as sentiment has devolved into bearishness particularly at the end of the year when buyers are also keen to keep lean stocks.

INSIGHT: India IPA safeguard duty probe begins, surprising exporters
In a move that has surprised several exporters, India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry has launched the investigation for safeguard measures against isopropanol (IPA) imports.

China phenol/acetone makers forced to cut ops again on rising losses
Some phenol/acetone producers in China are forced to cut production again towards the end of the year due to increasing losses since the second quarter of 2019.

Asia suppliers withdraw C12-14 alcohols offers on feedstock uptrend
With feedstock palm kernel oil (PKO) prices maintaining an uptrend, some C12-14 alcohols suppliers in Asia are withdrawing their offers as they look to maximise their margins.

Asia SAN steady after recent slippages while demand expected to stay soft
Asia styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) prices held steady this week after recent declines though going forward demand is unlikely to pick up.