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LATEST HEADLINES
NE
Asia C3 import talks take a back seat amid
China re-stocking
By Jude
Chan 2020/09/18 SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Import deals
and discussions slowed to a crawl in the
northeast Asian propylene (C3) market, as
buyers in China turned to the domestic market
for prompt cargoes to replenish their
inventories before the country’s week-long
holiday at the start of October.
S
Korea aromatics output to take hits as refiners
eye Oct run-rate cuts
By
Nurluqman Suratman 2020/09/18 SINGAPORE
(ICIS)--South Korea's production of aromatics
may be affected as domestic refineries mull
cutting run rates further in October on poor
margins amid sluggish demand.
INSIGHT: Asia's key
petrochemical markets expect supply to pile up
in Q4
By Felicia Loo
2020/09/18 SINGAPORE (ICIS)--The year 2020 has
been roasted by the pandemic hitherto, with the
petrochemical outlook for the fourth quarter
being no exception as supply exceeding demand
expected to be the case for major products.
Dow boosts Q3
profit outlook on packaging, durables, personal
care
By Joseph Chang 2020/17/09 NEW YORK
(ICIS)--US-based Dow expects Q3 earnings to
come in better than previously forecast on
improving key end markets and polyethylene (PE)
dynamics, the chief financial officer said on
Thursday.
Asia benzene buoyed by firm crude;
arbitrage window to US still
shut
By Clive Ong 17-Sep-20 13:19 SINGAPORE
(ICIS)--Asia’s benzene market was bolstered by
firm crude oil futures, following US offshore
production shutdowns from Hurricane Sally. The
uptick in benzene prices, however, appeared to
be still tempered by ample availability in
Asia.
New projects to boost China’s light
olefins imports in 2021-2022
By Lillian Ren 17-Sep-20 14:29 SINGAPORE
(ICIS)--China is expected to see a major rise
in imports of light olefins -
propane/butane and ethane - in 2021 and 2022 to
meet new demand driven by start-up of propane
dehydrogenation (PDH) and steam cracker
projects. China will need to import 5.04m
tonnes and 8.47m tonnes of LPG/ethane in 2021
and 2022 for those new capacities,
respectively, though part of the demand will be
met by domestically produced feedstock.
EU chemicals exports to continue to be
hit by emerging economies
setback
By: Nigel Davis 2020/09/16 LONDON
(ICIS)--EU chemicals trade has shrunk this year
as the coronavirus pandemic has spread and
lockdowns have restricted industrial activity
and consumer goods demand.
Trade is vitally important for the sector which has enjoyed a strong trade balance over the years. Chemicals has benefited hugely from globalisation and from broad-based tariff reductions.
A key question is how the pandemic will impact trade over the longer term.
Through lockdowns, local production for local supply was of vital importance. Producers worked hard to supply and work with customers as best they could, but long trade routes came under particular pressure.
China
EPDM demand slows down ahead of week-long
October holiday
By Helen Yan
2020/09/16 SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s demand for
ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) has
started to slow down as buyers have mostly
completed procurements ahead of the country’s
week-long holiday in October.
Asia
MTBE to be buoyed by arbitrage flows, supply
cutback
By Keven Zhang
2020/09/16 SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Asia's methyl
tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) prices were
supported by stronger demand as buyers were
attracted to low prices, while the near-term
market is expected to stay buoyed by arbitrage
flows and supply disruption.
India
August exports fall 12.7%; imports down
26%
By Pearl Bantillo
2020/09/16 SINGAPORE (ICIS)--India’s total
exports extended their double-digit declines,
falling 12.7% year on year in August to
$22.7bn, while imports fell a steeper 26.0% to
$29.5bn, official data showed.
Crude demand on ‘treacherous’ path to
recovery due to transport, remote working -
IEA
By: Jonathan Lopez 2020/09/15 LONDON
(ICIS)--The recovery in crude oil demand is on
a “treacherous” path as a resurgent coronavirus
pandemic in Europe and India, among other
places, keeps transport in the doldrums, the
International Energy Agency (IEA) said on
Tuesday.
With infections rising in Europe again, working remotely remains commonplace. This has resulted in a sharp reduction in demand for energy and transport, with the aviation sector taking the largest hit as travel has fallen dramatically this year.
The IEA’s Oil Market Report on Tuesday reduced its estimate for crude oil demand in the second half of 2020 by 400,000 bbl/day, and forecast that average demand for 2020 will be 91.7m bbl/day - a level not seen since 2013.
German economy improves in September
but banking remains a concern -
Zew
By: Morgan Condon 2020/09/15 LONDON
(ICIS)--The German economy has continued to
improve in September despite some worrying
indicators, economic research group Zew said on
Tuesday.
The Zew Indicator of Economic Sentiment for Germany rose 5.9 points in September, month on month, to 77.4 points.
“Stalled Brexit talks and rising coronavirus cases could not dampen the positive mood," said Zew president Achim Wambach.
"However, the still negative outlook for the banking sector reveals fears of a rising number of loan defaults in the coming six months.”
Developing Asia GDP
to contract in 2020, first recession in almost
six decades – ADB
By Nurluqman Suratman 2020/09/15 SINGAPORE
(ICIS)--Economic prospects in developing Asia
have worsened amid a revival of coronavirus
cases in some areas, with regional GDP expected
to contract by 0.7% this year, the Asian
Development Bank (ADB) said on Tuesday.
Asian ECH firm, but sentiment may shift on
impending restarts
By Ai Teng Lim 2020/09/15 SINGAPORE
(ICIS)--Asian spot discussions for
epichlorohydrin (ECH) continued to edge up this
week, supported by ongoing tightness in prompt
supplies.
However, the bullish sentiment seems to have started to waver somewhat, market sources said, now that several regional plant maintenance are wrapping up, which could turn the supply situation around.
PODCAST: Why ‘peak oil’ may coincide
with ‘peak plastic’
By: Will Beacham 2020/09/14 BARCELONA
(ICIS)--BP’s new energy review suggests the
world is heading for ‘peak oil’ while the same
trends may mean we have also reached ‘peak
plastic’.
- 'Peak oil' may coincide with 'peak plastic' as circular economy undermines demand for virgin petrochemicals
- Lower oil production will impact availability of chemical feedstock
- Expect shift to renewables to impact chemicals demand from automotive
- Why China’s new five year plan meeting is as important as the US elections
- Lockdowns are not the best way out of the pandemic
Click on the headline to hear the podcast.
INSIGHT: Chemicals demand for crude to
fall as energy transition takes
hold
By Nigel Davis 2020/09/14 LONDON
(ICIS)--This is BP’s latest view of how demand
for oil as a feedstock for plastics and
man-made fibres will develop over time.
The UK oil major on Monday released its latest Energy Outlook which has raised the question among commentators of ‘peak oil’ and how oil demand might not recover to pre-coronavirus pandemic levels.
The outlook presents some of the detail in thinking behind BP’s transformation into a much more customer-focused international energy company.
It is the detail that is informing current strategy, which includes a 40% reduction in oil and gas production.
Source: BP Energy Review 2020
Eurozone chemicals output up slightly
in July, industrial recovery shows ‘signs of
fatigue’
By: Jonathan Lopez 2020/09/14 LONDON
(ICIS)--Chemicals output in the eurozone rose
slightly more than 1% in July, month on month,
a lower increase than average industrial
production levels, the EU’s statistical office
Eurostat said on Monday.
In the wider 27-country EU, chemicals output also rose slightly more than 1%.
These modest increases compared with more than 4% increase in industrial production in both the EU and the eurozone.
However, the increase was not enough yet to compensate for falls in output during the second quarter amid lockdowns.
Asia
butac/etac prices near six-month highs on
supply constraints
By Melanie
Wee 2020/09/14 SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Asia’s butyl
acetate (butac) prices touched a near six-month
high, buoyed by supply constraints in China
amid plant maintenance, with an expected uptick
in demand set to liven up the market.
VIDEO: China melamine
market subdued; demand may pick up from H2
Sept
By Joson Ng 2020/09/14
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Watch ICIS editor Joson Ng
discuss the latest developments in the Chinese
melamine market.
Asian
MMA firmer after 8 weeks; heavy turnarounds to
support
By Li Li Chng
2020/09/14 SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Asia’s methyl
methacrylate (MMA) spot prices rose for the
first time after holding stable for eight
weeks, due to tight supply, firmer feedstock
and improved sentiment, tracking a bullish
China domestic market.
The heavy turnaround period in Asia from August to November will likely provide support to the market.
In the week ended 11 September, MMA prices for bulk parcels of 500 tonnes and above were at $1,380-1,420/tonne CFR (cost & freight) southeast (SE) Asia, up $20/tonne from the previous week, according to ICIS data.
Global construction sector to grow 35%
to 2030 on urbanisation, softer pandemic
impact
By: Morgan Condon 2020/09/11 LONDON
(ICIS)--The petrochemicals-intensive
construction sector is expected to continue
expanding as relentless urbanisation in China
and other developing economies fuels
above-than-average growth.
Analysts at Oxford Economics said this week that in spite of the coronavirus pandemic, the sector is anticipated to grow by nearly 35% to 2030, reaching a total of $5.8tn.
This forecast, however, is on the proviso that a vaccine is rolled out in early 2021, and that no second wave of infections causes further lockdowns.
There has been significant regional variation following quarantine restrictions imposed earlier in the year, as industrial activity slowed in a bid to cap rising infection rates.
Japan
petrochemical exports shrinking; economy deep
in recession
By Pearl
Bantillo 2020/09/11 SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Japan’s
export volumes of key petrochemicals have
shrunk in the first seven months of 2020, with
external demand likely to stay muted, as the
world’s third-biggest economy wallows in deep
recession amid the pandemic.
China
BD producers may export to Taiwan, South Korea
in October
By Helen Yan
2020/09/11 SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s butadiene
(BD) producers are seeking export opportunities
in South Korea and Taiwan in October, as
domestic supply is expected to lengthen while
availability elsewhere in Asia remains tight.
Growth opportunities for PET suppliers
despite economic gloom
By: Morgan Condon 2020/09/09 LONDON
(ICIS)--Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
suppliers remain confident of opportunities to
grow despite the challenging economic climate
and growing environmental concerns facing the
industry.
Industry participants discussed how the PET market could combat challenges facing the industry on Wednesday as part of the ICIS PET Value Chain Virtual Conference.
“Packaging has emerged as the true champion for the pandemic situation and how it has been managed to best serve the public,” said Rohit Maindwal, chief operating officer at JBF Industries.
Europe plastic taxes may favour PET,
pandemic drives packaging
demand
By: Tom Brown 2020/09/09 LONDON
(ICIS)—Plastics packaging taxes rolling out
across Europe are likely to favour polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) over other polymers, such
as polypropylene for some food and drink
applications due to greater ease in sourcing
secondary material, a consultant said on
Wednesday.
Plastic taxes being introduced by Italy and the UK among others that focus on recycled content are likely to drive some plastics consumption in the packaging sector toward PET due to the mature existing market for non-virgin PET, said Joe Papineschi, director of environmental consultancy Eunomia.
The effects of this are already perceptible in some sectors, he said, noting that the French yoghurt sector is increasingly shifting from polystyrene (PS) to PET packaging due to incentives for recycled content.
PODCAST: Virtual PET Value Chain
Conference: Volatility and sustainability amid
a challenging economic
climate
By: Melissa Hurley 2020/09/09 LONDON
(ICIS)--ICIS Senior Editor Melissa Hurley
discusses some of the topics emerging from the
Virtual PET Value Chain Conference taking place
9-10 September 2020 with European PET Senior
Editor, Caroline Murray.
Click on the headline to hear the podcast.
INSIGHT: Veolia aims to create global
giant in recycling, waste with Suez takeover
offer
By: Mark Victory 2020/09/09 LONDON
(ICIS)--Veolia’s has launched an unsolicited
offer to acquire Suez, eyeing the creation of
the largest waste and recycling management
group in the world.
Each firm is individually a global recycling and waste management major - in 2019, Veolia revenue posted sales of €27.2bn, while Suez's stood at €18.02bn; both are headquartered in Paris.
Veolia announced its unsolicited offer to acquire Engie’s 29.9% stake in waste and water group Suez on 30 August.
Israel-UAE peace deal to
open trade opportunities for
polymers
By Nurluqman
Suratman 2020/09/09 SINGAPORE (ICIS)--The peace
agreement between between Israel and the UAE
could open up new opportunities for polymers
trade in the Middle East, but may have limited
impact on overall market dynamics in the
region.
Asia naphtha
spirals to one-month low on crude oil
rout
By Melanie Wee 09-Sep-20 11:56 SINGAPORE
(ICIS)--Asia naphtha prices fell to a one-month
low in response to weaker crude oil futures,
despite sustained spot demand for October
shipments that served to keep the product’s
crack spread afloat.
India
to implement ‘rules of origin’ norms for
imports from 21 September
By
Priya Jestin 2020/09/08 MUMBAI (ICIS)--India
‘rules of origin’ norms, which are expected to
come into force on 21 September, will help
reduce the dumping of goods and stop imports of
low quality products, a government official
said on Tuesday.
Fitch raises '20
oil-price forecast while lowering that for
'22
By Al Greenwood 2020/09/08 HOUSTON
(ICIS)--Fitch Ratings raised its oil forecast
for 2020 while lowering it for 2022, the
credit-rating agency said on Tuesday.
Germany H1 chems, pharma sales fall 6%
but sector posts 'signs of
recovery'
By: Tom Brown 2020/09/08 LONDON
(ICIS)--Germany's chemicals and pharmaceutical
sales fell over 6% in the first six months of
2020, trade body VCI said on Tuesday, with the
projected fall for the year likely to at a
similar level.
A temporary spike in demand for cleaning agents and medicines was insufficient to offset the extent of the fall in demand and productivity caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the lengthy lockdown the country underwent through March and April, VCI said.
The fall was most dramatic for the second quarter - sales fell 11.5% year on year and quarter on quarter, with producer pricing dropping an average of 3.2%.
South Africa Q2 GDP plummets 51% on
lockdown
By: Jonathan Lopez 2020/09/08 LONDON
(ICIS)--South Africa's second-quarter GDP
contracted by 51% compared with Q1 due to the
strict lockdown enforced to contain the spread
of the coronavirus pandemic which caused the
collapse of most economic activity, according
to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA).
The national statistical service of South Africa said only the seasonal agricultural sector managed "to keep its head above the water" with an increase of 15%.
Key petrochemical-intensive sectors like manufacturing and construction fell well over 70%.
"The punch in the gut was severe. Perhaps the second quarter of 2020 will become known as the pandemic quarter," said Stats SA.
PODCAST: pandemic drives shift to
circular economy, $400bn petchems investments
at risk
By: Will Beacham 2020/09/07 BARCELONA
(ICIS)--Coronavirus is accelerating the shift
from a linear to circular economy, putting
$400bn in petrochemical investments at risk of
redundancy.
- “Peak Plastic” reached on switch from linear to circular economy
- $400bn in petrochemical investments may become redundant
- No-deal Brexit increasingly likely from January 2021
- Chemical companies must ensure they and their suppliers are ready
Click on the headline to hear the podcast.
NE Asia polyester yarn gains on rising
feedstock cost, better
demand
By Judith Wang 2020/09/08 SINGAPORE
(ICIS)--Polyester yarn prices in northeast Asia
are rising on the back of higher feedstock cost
and better offtake amid seasonally strong
demand.
Spot discussions for polyester partially oriented yarn (POY) 150 denier (D) were at $0.83-0.88/kg FOB (free on board) NE (northeast) Asia, up from $0.80-0.86/kg FOB NE Asia in the week ended 1 September.
Typhoon Haishen hits South Korea; NE Asia port
congestion set to continue
By Nurluqman Suratman 2020/09/07 SINGAPORE
(ICIS)--Typhoon Haishen made landfall in South
Korea's southern peninsula on Monday, worsening
the shipping congestion across northeast Asia
as it forces fresh port closures in the region.
Asia naphtha prices tumble 5% on losses in
crude oil futures
By Melanie Wee 2020/09/07 SINGAPORE
(ICIS)--Asia’s naphtha prices yielded to falls
in global crude oil futures, even as market
fundamentals are being cushioned by steady spot
demand for October.
Global IPEX climbs 3.5% in August as
recovery continues
By: Nigel Davis 2020/09/04 LONDON
(ICIS)--A 3.5% higher global IPEX for August
underscores the continued petrochemicals
recovery from the depths of the
coronavirus-driven slump earlier in the year.
The increased US and northwest Europe price indexes illustrate the recovery taking hold in these regions while the more muted increase in the northeast Asia ICIS Petrochemical Index (IPEX) reflects some pressure on prices as supply and demand balanced out through July and August.
Butadiene volatility persists, with August prices much higher in all three regions, the markets having lost considerable value earlier in the year.
VIDEO: Downward pressure grows on
Europe R-PET
By: ICIS Editorial 2020/09/04 LONDON
(ICIS)--Matt Tudball, senior editor, Recycling,
looks at initial feedback from European
recycled polyethylene terephthalate (R-PET)
marker price discussions for September,
including:
- Increased pressure on post-consumer bottles and flakes
- Possible narrowing of spread between high
and low end of flake prices
Supply and demand outlook
Click on the headline to see the video
Singapore August
manufacturing weakens; tepid recovery
likely
Author: Nurluqman Suratman 2020/09/04 SINGAPORE
(ICIS)--Singapore's manufacturing sector
slightly weakened in August as new export
orders slowed down, with recovery in factory
conditions going forward likely to remain tepid
amid subdued external demand.
China
PA sentiment upbeat on improved
demand
By Ai Teng Lim 2020/09/04 SINGAPORE
(ICIS)--Discussions for spot imports of
phthalic anhydride (PA) took a positive turn
this week in China and may continue to gather
pace if uptick in downstream offtake is
sustained.
German auto market remained weak in
August; sales down 20%, production 35%
lower
3 September 2020 3:04 pm
LONDON (ICIS)--The German auto market remained
weak in August, with new-car registrations down
20% year on year and domestic auto production
down 35%, according to data from industry trade
group VDA on Thursday.
The automotive industry is a major global consumer of petrochemicals, which make up more than one-third of the raw material cost of an average vehicle.
Several chemicals have a significant percentage of their demand tied to the global auto industry. These include nylon resins, styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), polypropylene (PP), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and polycarbonate (PC).
Five
Japan trading firms attract funds from
investment guru Buffett
By
Pearl Bantillo 2020/09/03 SINGAPORE
(ICIS)--Five Japanese trading firms - Itochu,
Marubeni, Mitsubishi, Mitsui and Sumitomo -
have attracted funds from US billionaire and
investment guru Warren Buffett, while global
trade is being pummelled by the coronavirus
pandemic.
VIDEO: China ACN firms on
higher list prices amid supply
fluctuations
By Dan Lu
2020/09/03 SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Watch industry
analyst Dan Lu discuss current developments in
China's acrylonitrile (ACN) market which has
seen prices rising amid tight supply.
Typhoon Maysak forces
port closures as it makes landfall in Busan,
South Korea
By Nurluqman Suratman 2020/09/03 SINGAPORE
(ICIS)--Typhoon Maysak made landfall early on
Thursday on the southern coast of Busan, South
Korea, forcing the closure of ports in the
region.
PODCAST: US PVC
supplies tighten on stronger demand, production
cuts from Hurricane Laura
By Bill Bowen 2020/09/02 HOUSTON
(ICIS)--US polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production
remains constrained by Hurricane Laura impacts,
as well as by coronavirus shutdowns, while
demand is elevated due to home improvement
sales.
China BD supply to grow on start-ups;
demand outlook uncertain
By Dan Lu 2020/09/02 SINGAPORE
(ICIS)--Butadiene (BD) supply in China will
grow with new capacities coming on stream while
the outlook on demand is uncertain, with a
possible decline in production at downstream
synthetic rubber market.
A combined capacity of 290,000 tonnes/year from three new plants is due to come on stream toward the fourth quarter.
Asia MEG nears six-month highs on regional
output cuts, US shutdowns
By Judith Wang 2020/09/02 SINGAPORE
(ICIS)--Asia’s monoethylene glycol (MEG) prices
surged to their highest in nearly six months on
tight supply amid cuts in regional output and
hurricane-related plant shutdowns in the US.
India initiates antidumping-duty review
on 2-EH from six origins
By Priya Jestin 2020/09/02 MUMBAI (ICIS)--India
has begun investigations to review the
anti-dumping duties (ADD) on 2-ethyl hexanol
(2-EH) imports from the EU, Indonesia, South
Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan and the US.
The current ADD on the product was imposed in March 2016 and is set to expire on 28 March 2021.
Asia naphtha
market structure in positive zone on buoyant
demand
By Melanie Wee 2020/09/01 SINGAPORE
(ICIS)--Asia naphtha markets are poised for
tailwinds as the market structure stays in
positive territory, aided by healthy spot
demand.
Caixin China
manufacturing PMI rises to 53.1 in
August
By Nurluqman Suratman
2020/09/01 SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Caixin's China
general purchasing managers' index (PMI) rose
to 53.1 in August from
52.8 in July on the back of higher new
export orders, the Chinese media firm said on
Monday.
S Korea August
petchem exports fall 21.4%; total shipments
down 9.9%
By Nurluqman Suratman 01-Sep-20 12:33 SINGAPORE
(ICIS)--South Korea's petrochemical exports
fell by 21.4% year on year in August, weighing
on overall shipments of goods abroad, official
data showed on Tuesday.
PODCAST: Chemicals downturn began in
2017 and has accelerated
By: Will Beacham 2020/08/31 BARCELONA
(ICIS)—The downturn for global chemicals began
back in December 2017, and has accelerated
through the pandemic, coupled with a lack of
visibility on future demand patterns.
- Muted bounce back is underway for chemicals
- Chemical capacity utilisation has fallen since December 2017
- Accelerated during pandemic, and has not recovered
Click on the headline to hear the podcast.
Europe September propylene contract
price agreed at a rollover
By: Nel Weddle 2020/08/31 LONDON
(ICIS)--The European propylene September
contract reference price has been set at
€732.50/tonne, a rollover from August.
The settlement was confirmed by four producers and three consumers, two integrated, one non-integrated.
Primary driver naphtha values were slightly lower on average in August compared to July, while supply and demand fundamentals are largely steady overall, although there remains some disparity between grade and/or location.
Planned cracker maintenance is underway alongside the ongoing outage at Borealis’ Stenungsund, Sweden cracker. Prompt availability had been constrained by a couple of unexpected cracker issues earlier in August but these have been resolved. Refineries continue to run at reduced rates.
INSIGHT: Tech stock surge, digitalization
hearten petrochemical
industry
By Felicia Loo 2020/08/31 SINGAPORE (ICIS)--It
will be inexpedient for the global
petrochemical industry to continue moping
during the pandemic as a recent surge in
technology stocks is a game-changer.
Japan’s Showa Denko secures licence to
process industrial waste
By Pearl Bantillo 2020/08/31 SINGAPORE
(ICIS)--Showa Denko KK (SDK) intends to promote
plastic chemical recycling as the company
obtained in July a licence to process
industrial waste, the Japanese producer said on
Monday.
It has started accepting used plastics, which were crushed and molded, it said in a statement.
ANALYSIS AND RESOURCES
June 2020 Coronavirus presentation given by ICIS Analytics experts.
