Americas top stories: weekly summary

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Here are the top stories from ICIS News from the week ended 7 December.

INSIGHT: A change of heart from the US, some movement from China provide trade dispute relief
There is a pause but the spectre of the US-China trade dispute still hangs over the global economy and chemicals trade.

Chems plunge as US Dow Jones falls 3.10%
Stocks of US-listed chemical companies fell sharply on Tuesday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined by 3.10%.

US Tronox seeks to sell Cristal’s TiO2 Ashtabula plant to INEOS
Tronox seeks to sell Cristal’s pigment site in Ashtabula, Ohio to INEOS for $700m in a bid to get US approval of its pending acquisition of the fellow producer of titanium dioxide (TiO2), the US-based company said on Tueday.

US chemical growth continues despite global slowdown – ACC
US manufacturing and export growth will continue to drive demand for basic and specialty chemicals, even as major economies slow and the “synchronised global upswing” unravels, the US American Chemistry Council (ACC) said on Wednesday.

Sasol’s US Lake Charles LLDPE unit mechanically complete, cracker completion imminent
The linear-low density polyethylene (LLDPE) unit of Sasol’s Lake Charles Chemicals Project (LCCP) in the US is mechanically complete, and mechanical completion of the cracker is imminent, a company spokesman said on Thursday.

Markets raise doubt about US Tronox/Cristal deal, Ohio plant sale
Shares of US-based pigment producer Tronox continued falling on Friday after a steep decline that exceeded 20% on Thursday – a sign that the market doubts that the company can get US approval to close on its pending acquisition of Cristal.

US CP Chem to shut down PX plant in Mississippi
Chevron Phillips Chemical plans to shut down a paraxylene (PX) plant in Pascagoula, Mississippi, the company said on Friday.