Americas top stories: weekly summary

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Here are the top stories from ICIS News from the week ended 16 November.

Trucker strike, uncertainty lower Brazil plastics outlook
Braskem expects polyolefins demand to grow by 3-4% in 2018, slightly below its forecasts earlier in the year, an executive with the company said.

‘Money still to be made’ from crude but large investments needed – IEA
As developing economies continue their relentless urbanisation, the crude oil industry needs to reverse the declining trends in capital investments post-2014 in order to cater for that growth, the executive director at the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Tuesday.

US crude futures plunge $4.24/bbl on downbeat OPEC forecast
NYMEX WTI crude futures for December delivery finished lower for the 12th consecutive session on Tuesday, settling at $55.69/bbl, down $4.24, after OPEC lowered for the fourth consecutive month its outlook for global oil demand.

More containers still a need in US polymer supply chain – chem execs
US polymer producers may work around the imposition of new tariffs from the US-China trade war, but finding enough shipping containers still remains one of their major logistical problems.

New US MDI capacity may alter trade flows, supply-demand balances
Additional capacity for methyl di-p phenylene isocyanate (MDI) in the US could alter trade flows and supply-and-demand balances in the coming years.