Asia top stories – weekly summary

SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Here are the top stories from ICIS News Asia and the Middle East for the week ended 24 January 2020.

Asian petchem shares fall on China virus concerns, Wuhan lockdown
Shares of petrochemical firms in Asia closed lower on Thursday on growing worries over the spread of a new coronavirus, with the city of Wuhan in central China now in full lockdown to contain the epidemic.

SE Asia ethylene market strengthens on tighter supply, fresh demand
Ethylene prices in southeast Asia are buoyed by tightening supply and fresh spot demand. Spot availability for February-loading cargoes is curtailed by widespread operating rate cuts at regional naphtha-(liquefied petroleum gas) LPG crackers, as well as ongoing and upcoming cracker turnarounds in southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Asia EPDM supply to tighten in Q2 on production cuts
Supply of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) in Asia is expected to be tighter than expected in the second quarter due to production cuts implemented by major producers.

Asian chemicals face tight supply, weak demand post-Lunar New Year
The outlook on Asian petrochemicals and fuel products is mixed post-Lunar New Year, with supply of butadiene (BD), acrylonitrile (ACN) and isopropanol (IPA) tightening while other chemicals will face weak demand and rising fuel supply is expected.

Asian petchem markets take a breather ahead of Lunar New Year
Asia’s petrochemical markets have slowed down ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday as manufacturing activity dwindles, limiting trade activity in the region.