Acetic acid prices have hit a new high in the Asian market. Coming in at $850 per ton, current prices are approximately 15 percent higher than those in early April....
Market
Asian Market Grows Anxious Over Increasingly Tight Hydroquinone Supplies
An increasing sense of tightness is developing in Asia around the supply and demand of hydroquinone. Prices have increased by as much as 20 percent over last year, and the...
Styrene Monomer Prices Soar in Asia
The price of styrene monomers (SM) has risen above $1,500 per ton. Factors behind the increase include steeply higher crude oil and naphtha prices, delayed starts to routine maintenance and...
Titanium Dioxide Prices Continue to Rise in Asia
Titanium dioxide prices are on the rise in Asia. Current prices are around $3,000 per ton, representing an increase of more than 10 percent since March. Since the beginning of...
Acetic Acid Supply and Demand Remains Tight in Japan
Supply and demend of acetic acid remains tight in Japan. Despite Kyodo Sakusan Co. Ltd. operating at nearly full capacity and the country’s imports increasing since last year, solid demand...
Ethylene Production Volume Slips 12% in April Due to Routine Maintenance
Japan’s ethylene production volume for April 2018 dropped 11.8 percent year-on-year to 484,300 tons, according to a May 24 report from the Japan Petrochemical Industry Association. Two ethylene facilities in...
Needle Coke Prices Continue to Rise
International market prices for needle coke are maintaining an upward trend. This is being driven by strong demand for graphite electrodes – which are used to make electric furnace steel...
Tightrope Dance Continues for Asian Supply and Demand of Caustic Soda
The supply–demand balance for caustic soda is standing tight in Asia. Demand in Southeast Asia came in at an estimated 2.7 million tons for 2017. By application, demand was particularly...
Acrylic Acid Maintains High Price Point in Asia
Asian market prices for acrylic acid continue to sit at a high point, with the chemical currently trading for around $1,300–1,400 per ton. Privately owned Chinese firms have been reducing...
Ethylene Demand Appears Set to Outpace Slew of New Production Facilities
Petrochemical insiders around the globe are coming to the conclusion that the tight supply–demand balance for ethylene, a base ingredient for petrochemical products, will continue through into the first half...
Signs of Change Appear for Urethane Raw Material Prices
International market prices for urethane raw materials are beginning to show signs of change after staying high in recent times. This is largely because of alleviation in the tight supply–demand...
Global Polycarbonate Prices Continue Upward
The international market for polycarbonate (PC) is continuing its upward trend. Prices for general grade PC in the Asian market have reached about $3,800–$3,900 per ton. Compared with two months...
Asian Polyethylene Prices Fall, Potentially Signaling Arrival of US Shale
With the U.S. seeing a wave of new shale gas-derived petrochemical projects as of late, the effects of this may now be starting to influence the Asian market. Asian prices...
Graphite Electrode Prices Could Rise Further in Second Half
Domestic Japanese prices for graphite electrodes, which are used to make electric furnace steel, look likely to continue rising throughout the second half of 2018. Product shortages appear to be...
More Printing Inks Gain Certification to Use Biomass Mark
For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018, nearly 30 printing inks obtained Japan’s Biomass Mark certification. That is around eight times as many certifications as in the year before....
Chinese Market Sees Soaring Prices for Inorganic Chemicals
Soaring prices in China’s inorganic chemical market is pushing Japan’s own market into something of a dilemma. Following the end of Chinese New Year, the Chinese government brought into effect...
Foreign Companies Eye Indian Chemical Market as Local Production Stagnates
The major players in India’s chemical industry, particularly in the basic raw materials sector, are state-run enterprises and local conglomerates. Foreign companies are rarely seen in the market. But now,...
Asia Attracts New Attention as Destination for LPG Exports
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the U.S. and the Middle East seems set for increasing exports to the Asian market moving forward. More than half of all LPG from the...
Benzene Supply Set to Remain Tight in Asia
Benzene supply is likely to remain tight in Asia, driven in part by continuing strong demand for benzene derivatives such as styrene monomer (SM). Overall global demand for benzene is...
Business in High-Purity Silicon for Semiconductors Keeps Booming
High-purity silicon for use in semiconductors is a thriving business. Demand for the material is rising across the board, from advanced semiconductors to IoT devices and advanced automotive electronics. This...
