Europe top stories: weekly summary
ICIS Editorial
10-Dec-2018
LONDON (ICIS)–Here are some of the top stories from ICIS Europe for the week ended 7 December.
Europe naphtha-based
cracker margins fall, LPG margins rise week on
week
European cracker margins based on naphtha
feedstock have fallen week on week, while those
based on LPG have risen, according to ICIS
margin analysis.
Germany’s chemicals
prepare for ‘less optimistic’ 2019 as upswing
nears end – VCI
Germany’s chemicals industry’s outlook for 2019
is “less optimistic” due to looming global
trade conflicts, a slowdown in the country’s
economy and Brexit unknowns, trade group VCI
said.
Rhine’s improvement eases
feedstock supply at BASF’s Ludwigshafen site,
some barges fully loading
Rainfall in the last few days has led to an
improvement on the River Rhine’s water levels,
with some barges now able to fully load,
according to a spokesperson for the German
federal waterways authority (BAFG).
UK,
Europe chemicals face more uncertainty amid
Brexit parliamentary chaos
The UK chemical industry and its trading
partners face more uncertainty about the
eventual format of Brexit as the government
suffered a series of defeats in parliament
ahead of a crucial vote to approve the deal on
offer.
Europe PE Dec prices down
sharply on feedstocks, but producers aim to
retain margin
European polyethylene (PE) prices are dropping
for December, but the amount of the price
decrease in freely negotiated accounts is not
yet clear.
Re-design, use plastics
waste as a resource key to circular economy –
Europe trade groups
Re-designing plastic products and using
plastics waste as a resource are crucial
elements in a circular economy, European
plastics trade groups and the region’s
chemicals sustainability promotion platform
SusChem said.
Further falls expected
for Europe Dec PS despite unseasonably strong
demand
Monthly contract negotiations have started in
the European polystyrene (PS) market this week
with further downward pressure on prices amid
another triple-digit drop in upstream costs,
sources said.
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