Asia top stories – weekly summary

SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Here are the top stories from ICIS News Asia and the Middle East for the week ended 22 September 2023.

US-Asia ethylene trade slows in Oct; Korea’s supply sees uptick
By Yeow Pei Lin 22-Sep-23 11:21 SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Northeast Asia’s spot demand for November-delivery regional ethylene (C2) supply will increase, as exports from the US are expected to dwindle next month due to a tightly shut arbitrage window.

Asia glycerine offers stay firm despite deep-sea Brazilian spot availability
By Helen Yan 21-Sep-23 12:39 SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Despite more deep-sea Brazilian glycerine coming to the region, producers in southeast Asia are keeping their offers firm in a bid to compensate for the eroded margins in the fatty acids market.

Japan August chemical exports fall 12% amid China slowdown
By Nurluqman Suratman 20-Sep-23 12:52 SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Japan’s chemical exports in August fell by 11.7% year on year to yen (Y) 873.1bn ($5.9bn), weighing on its overall shipments abroad which fell for the second straight month, with China’s slowdown continuing to dampen trade.

INSIGHT: SE Asia packaging consumption behaviours are changing, but not in the way you think
By Jackie Wong 20-Sep-23 14:00 SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Demand for packaging products in southeast Asia is clearly changing for better or worse, judging by trends observed in Indonesia, the region’s most populous nation.

INSIGHT: Better sentiment to boost September prices of Asia petrochemicals
By Lina Xu 19-Sep-23 11:20 SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Asia’s petrochemical prices are expected to increase in September on improved macroeconomic sentiment and forecasts of higher crude oil values, which are being supported by key producers’ output reduction plan until the end of the year.

Singapore Aug petrochemical export fall narrows; China demand may rebound
By Nurluqman Suratman 18-Sep-23 12:47 SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Singapore’s petrochemical exports declined for the 12th month although the rate of contraction has narrowed to a single-digit level in August, possibly indicating that the worst may be over in view of upbeat China data.