Asia top stories – weekly summary

SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Here are the top stories from ICIS News Asia and the Middle East for the week ended 13 December 2019.

Asia naphtha draws support from H2 Jan demand; premiums up
Asia’s naphtha prices are buoyant on the back of end-user buying H2 January-delivery cargoes, driving up premiums on spot deals.

Buy-sell gap in SE Asian PA import talks widens; outlook grim
Southeast Asian phthalic anhydride (PA) import talks yielded limited outcome this week as buy-sell gap grew wider.

Saudi Aramco shares spike 10% on trading debut
Shares of energy giant Saudi Aramco spiked 10% on its debut on the Saudi stock exchange on Wednesday.

Asia ABS trends up after recent losses on feedstock gains
Asia’s acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) market has reversed its losing streak on the back of recent rebound in feedstock prices.

China refiners may continue strong gasoline exports
China’s refiners may continue strong exports of gasoline  up to the end of the year, which recently caused domestic supply to tighten and prices to spike despite the lull demand season.

Asia palm oil surges on supply concerns; oleochemicals market muted
Palm oil prices in Malaysia maintained a strong surge amid concerns over a sharp decline in production, making it difficult for discussions involving oleochemicals in Asia to gain traction.

Asia oxo-alcohols face weak demand; deep-sea cargo influx
Oxo-alcohols markets in Asia could see weak downstream demand continuing due to macroeconomic uncertainties, while deep-sea cargoes augment regional supply.