Asia top stories – weekly summary

SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Here are some of the top stories from ICIS Asia and the Middle East for the week ended 5 January 2018.

OUTLOOK ’18: Asia base oils prices to hold up in Q1 on snug supply, healthy demand
Spot prices of base oils in Asia are expected to remain buoyed in the first quarter of 2018 on the back of robust demand and a regional supply crunch.

China anti-dumping probe on NBA imports to have limited short term impact
The Chinese government’s anti-dumping probe on n-butanol (NBA) imports from Taiwan, Malaysia and the US are not likely to cause any major shocks to the domestic market in the short term, according to market sources.

China’s polyolefin market to gain as plastic waste imports curbed
China’s demand for virgin polyolefin is expected to increase as a result of plummeting import of plastic wastes this year after government’s ban on the same to improve the country’s environment, market sources said.

OUTLOOK ’18: Asia, Mideast PMDI to come under pressure on long supply after Q1
Polymeric methyl di-p-phenylene isocyanate (PMDI) prices in Asia and the Middle East are expected to be weaker in 2018 after the first quarter as supply continues to improve following shortages in 2017.

OUTLOOK ’18: Asia PMMA uptrend may reverse in H1, tracking MMA costs
The uptrend in Asia polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) spot markets may reverse in the first half of 2018, tracking feedstock methyl methacrylate (MMA) costs closely.