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 19 October 2018.

SE Asia MA discussions flat; downward pressure expected
Discussions for maleic anhydride (MA) into southeast Asia were stable at $1,330-1,350/tonne amid weak market sentiment, as several buyers have sufficient inventories to meet their immediate production requirements.

China PP drifts lower after post-holiday spike as supply grows
Spot domestic polypropylene (PP) prices in China had surged post-holiday on some restocking activity and as market players cheered the economic stimulus measures of the government, but the uptrend was short-lived.

Asia solvent xylene at near four-year high on snug supply
Asia’s solvent xylene prices have hit their highest levels in nearly four years, after a steady ascent since the start of July due to overall snug supply and amid strong seasonal demand from downstream end-users.

China unlikely to sustain strong Sept exports growth – analysts
China’s exceptionally high export growth in September is unlikely to be sustainable in the near term as US’ tariffs on its goods will soon start to bite, according to analysts.

Southeast Asia spot SBR offers fall on ample supply, BD plunge
Styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) prices in southeast Asia continued to face downward downward pressure from ample supply and declining feedstock butadiene (BD) values.