Europe top stories: weekly summary

LONDON (ICIS)–Here are some of the top stories from ICIS Europe for the week ended 26 April.

Europe TiO2 sees upside for Q2 on margins and improved buying
Price rises are gaining traction for Europe titanium dioxide (TiO2) contracts in Q2. This is due to margin recovery needs, renewed buying activity in Q1 and as uncertainty surrounding the EU anti-dumping case against Chinese TiO2 imports looms large.

BASF Q1 net income drops, maintains full-year guidance
Lower pricing across most business divisions drove a 12.4% drop in BASF’s first-quarter net income year on year, with the chemicals major maintaining full-year guidance as sector demand shows early signs of recovery.

Europe April nylon 6 contract price rise on supply tightness, upstream pressures
European April nylon 6 contract prices have risen from March, pressured by tight supply in parts of the market and further increases to the feedstock costs.

Eurozone April private sector activity momentum accelerates despite weaker
manufacturing
Eurozone private sector activity continued to thaw in April, moving further into growth territory as a resurgent service sector offset a manufacturing industry sinking deeper into contraction.

IPEX: Global spot index little changed as firmer Asian prices offset falls in Europe, US Gulf
The global spot ICIS Petrochemical Index (IPEX) was little changed in the week, as slightly firmer prices in northeast Asia offset lower values in northwest Europe and the US Gulf.