Americas top stories: weekly summary

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Here are the top stories from ICIS News from the week ended 27 October:

Clariant, Huntsman merger execution risk rises ‘considerably’ – Barclays
The prospect of a merger between Swiss chemical firm Clariant and US peer Huntsman is still feasible but “execution risk has risen considerably” after activist investors White Tale increased its stake at the firm, UK-based investment bank Barclays Bank said on Monday.

M&G subsidiary files for bankruptcy protection in US court
A US subsidiary of Mossi & Ghisolfi (M&G) filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 on Tuesday.

First nomination for US Nov BD contracts at 5 cent/lb decline
The first nomination for US November butadiene (BD) contracts was at a drop of 5 cents/lb ($110/tonne), sources said on Wednesday.

Global Q3 chem M&A falls on fewer megadeals – PwC
Both the number and volume of chemical mergers and acquisitions (M&A) fell year on year in the third quarter, the consultancy PwC said on Thursday.

LyondellBasell to lift force majeure from US PE plants on 1 Nov
LyondellBasell intends to lift a force majeure on polyethylene (PE) from four of its Texas plants as of 1 November, according to a customer letter obtained by ICIS on Thursday.

US Huntsman, Swiss Clariant abandon merger plans
US’ Huntsman and Switzerland’s Clariant have jointly abandoned plans to merge, the specialty chemical companies said on Friday.

US Oct PE contracts increase by 3 cents/lb amid lingering supply tightness
US polyethylene (PE) contracts for October were assessed higher on Friday, as lingering tightness following Hurricane Harvey kept supply constrained throughout the month.