Asia top stories – weekly summary

SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Here are the top stories from ICIS News Asia and the Middle East for the week ended 6 August 2021.

INSIGHT: Fast-spreading Delta variant may roil Asia chemical markets, demand
Open. Close. Open. Close. In a strategy to battle the crippling, defiant COVID-19 virus, it is a binary du jour for countries to adopt snap lockdowns or partial ones as the occasion rises, and re-open when the threat diminishes.

Saudi SABIC swings to Q2 profit as product prices, sales volume spike
Saudi Arabia’s petrochemical major SABIC swung into a net profit in the second quarter of 2021, thanks to higher product prices and sales volumes.

Asia BDO remains on uptrend amid snug availability
Asia’s butanediol (BDO) prices remained on an uptrend supported by prevailing tight availability in the region, with demand expected to stay firm up to September.

Mideast petchem demand up amid high freight costs, tight container supply
Petrochemical demand in the Middle East is on an uptrend during summer while market players continue to tackle high freight costs and severe container shortages.

Spot TiO2 market in Asia could see tepid demand in H1 August
The titanium dioxide (TIO2) spot market could see sluggish demand in Asia for the coming month, especially in southeast Asia.

Asia July industries weaken in battle against COVID-19 Delta variant
Manufacturing activities in southeast Asia took a heavy hit in July amid various forms of lockdowns in place across countries in the region, while industry expansion in China and South Korea slowed down amid continued supply chain disruptions.