Americas top stories: weekly summary

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Here are the top stories from ICIS News from the week ended 17 January.

Mexico Orbia considers divestment of vinyls business
Orbia is considering a divestment of its Vinyl business in addition to forming an alliance or pursuing some other strategic alternatives for the group, the Mexican polyvinyl chloride (PVC) producer said in a regulatory filing.

US, China sign phase-one trade deal
The US and China signed on Wednesday a trade deal along the lines that the countries discussed back in October.

US may become majority source for China’s crude imports after trade deal
The first phase trade deal between the US and China will need China to heavily expand purchases of US crude oil, and that could mean potentially over 60% of China’s additional crude imports in 2020 will be grabbed by the US, according to ICIS analysts.

INSIGHT: US-Iran hostilities highlight Iraq’s precariousness
The recent outbreak of hostilities between the US and Iran has underscored the potential for escalating tension in the Middle East to impact chemicals pricing and trade flows.  But the real present risk factor in the region may be Iraq, the battleground the two countries chose for their skirmishes.

US to cut tariffs on batch of Chinese imports on 14 February
The US will lower tariffs on a batch of Chinese imports on 14 February, part of the phase-one trade agreement that the two countries signed earlier in the week.