Americas top stories: weekly summary

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Here are the top stories from ICIS News from the week ended 28 April 2017:

US May BD contracts nominated down 20, 29 cents/lb
US butadiene (BD) contracts for May have been nominated by two producers at drops of 20 cents/lb and 29 cents/lb, in line with market sentiment as supply improves, sources confirmed on Monday.

Mexico Alpek shuts EPS plant to complete expansion
Mexico-based producer Alpek is in the midst of a shutdown to complete the expansion of its expandable polystyrene (EPS) plant in Altamira, the company’s general director said on Tuesday.

Brazil’s Videolar-Innova to expand styrene capacity
Videolar-Innova, one of two major polystyrene producers in Brazil, is seeking to expand styrene monomer production in the Triunfo complex in Rio Grande do Sul state, a company source said on Tuesday.

US April propylene contracts settle down 6 cents/lb
US April propylene contract prices have settled down 6 cents/lb amid improving supply and falling demand, market sources confirmed on Wednesday.

US April PE settles unchanged, hike delayed until May
US April polyethylene (PE) settled flat on Thursday, with some producers separately delaying proposed increases until May.

US May benzene contracts settle within April range
US benzene contracts for May settled within the April settlement range, ICIS learned on Friday.

US May BD settles down 29 cents/lb on improved supply, lower demand
US May butadiene (BD) contract prices settled sharply lower on Friday as imports and resolved production issues improved supply and as downstream outages weighed on demand.