Asian demand for phenol is projected to continue growing at an average rate of 5.2 percent per year until 2020. This is due in part to expected production capacity increases – particularly in China – for phenol derivatives such as polycarbonate (PC), phenolic resin and epoxy resin. Other factors expected to contribute are the construction...
Market
Ethylene Production Favorable in August, Up 10.9% From Last Year
According to data compiled by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s (METI) Material Industries Division, ethylene production for August totaled at 562,000 tons for a year-on-year increase of 10.9 percent. With the impact of production stoppages at three ethylene facilities from 2014 to 2016 coming full circle, demand for petrochemical products both domestically and...
NEV Popularization in China Prompts Greater Concern Over Rare Earth Availability
Concern is growing that the supply–demand balance for rare earths will tighten due to trends in China, a main producer in the rare earth market. The Chinese government has set the country’s production quota of rare earths this year at 105,000 tons, the same level it has been in previous years. This comes despite the...
Styrene Monomer Prices Soar in Asia
Styrene monomer (SM) continues to appreciate in the Asian market, approaching the high price levels of six months ago. The price increase is thought to be caused by a shrinking inventory in China and equipment troubles and hurricanes effecting supply from the U.S. The price difference with benzene is now over $600 per ton. The...
Polyurethane Feedstock Prices Surge on Back of Ongoing Supply Issues
The Asian market is currently bullish on polyurethane feedstock, particularly China. Coming on the back of tightened supply due to plant troubles in Europe last autumn, toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) have seen a host of additional factors on the raw material front to trend upward in the marketplace. Meanwhile, polypropylene glycol (PPG)...
Aluminum Parts Bolstered by Trend Toward Vehicular Weight Reduction
Shipments of automotive aluminum are trending favorably. This comes on the back of improved domestic automotive production, which is up for the first time in three years. Die-cast parts increased 5.5 percent year-on-year to 457,570 tons for this year’s January–June period. Extrusions also saw a high growth rate of 7.5 percent, exceeding last year’s results....
Fuji Chimera Releases Survey Data on Container and Packaging Market
Fuji Chimera Research Institute Inc. has disclosed survey results on the current state and future prospects of the domestic container and packaging market for products such as food and beverages. According to the results, the market appears favorable, with expectations that it will grow to a scale of more than 4.8 trillion yen ($43.71 billion)...
Soaring Styrene Monomer Prices in Asia Top $1,300 for First Time in Five Months
Styrene monomer (SM) has soared in price on the Asian market, rising $100 per ton over the last week to reach the $1,300 level for the first time in five months. Firm demand for the product has been ongoing, with upward pressure coming out of Chinese manufacturers’ shortage of feedstock pushing down their operations and...
Paraxylene Demand to Exceed 40M Tons in 2017
Global demand for paraxylene (PX) is likely to exceed 40 million tons per annum this year. Production of downstream polyester in China is progressing at a high level, and the supply and demand of highly purified terephthalic acid (PTA), a derivative product, also has improved. Since passing 10 million tons in 2015, PX imports to...
Local Firms Step Up Presence in China’s LiB Aluminum Laminated Film Market
Chinese companies are increasing their presence in China’s market for aluminum laminated film used to wrap lithium-ion secondary batteries (LiBs). Shenzhen Selen Science & Technology Co. Ltd., based in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, is a leader among them. According to estimates by FSPG Hi-Tech Co. Ltd., Japanese firms Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd. (TYO:7912) and Showa...
Tight Helium Supply Sees Prices Boom With No End in Sight
The international market for helium appears set to continue on an upward trend for some time to come. Serving as an indicator of market prices, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) FY 2018 Crude Helium Auction last month marked a new record high in year-on-year increases – understood to be driven by low remaining...
Benzyl Alcohol Prices Soar Due to Chinese Environmental Regulations
Benzyl alcohol prices have jumped to more than double those in normal international market conditions. One major Chinese company has declared a force majeure (FM), as it has been unable to maintain a supply of raw materials due to stricter environmental regulations in China. This situation has impacted markets both in and outside China, tightening...
PVC Export Prices on the Rise in Asia
Export prices of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in Asia are rising. In China, a supply shortage in July stemming from the implementation of environmental regulations has caused domestic prices to escalate. Against this backdrop, a major Taiwanese manufacturer offered its customers in the region a $20-per-ton increase for August shipments, with all parties agreeing to the...
Data Storage Market to Reach $9B by 2020, IDC Study Predicts
Demand for data storage media is increasing, according to market research by U.S.-based International Data Corp. (IDC). Due to the popularization of IoT, high-resolution video, big-data analysis and cloud services, the company expects a total worldwide data generation of 44 zettabytes and a storage device market of 1 trillion yen ($9.03 billion) by 2020. Manufacturers...
Fuji Chimera: Global Additive and Filler Market to Reach 3.5 Trillion Yen by 2020
Fuji Chimera Research Institute Inc. has released a market research report on the additives and fillers used to enhance resin performance and add functional properties. The institute projects the global market to grow to approximately 3.5 trillion yen ($31.46 billion) by 2020, a rise of 22.8 percent on the 2016 level. Driving market expansion are...
Chinese Tourists’ Binge Shopping Trend Rebounds for Japanese Cosmetics
Japan’s cosmetics are finding new demand from Chinese visitors to the country. According to a recently released Japan Tourism Agency survey conducted in April through June on consumption trends among visitors to Japan, the amount spent by individual Chinese visitors on cosmetics and perfumes was 56,237 yen ($506). This marks a significant increase over the...
Imported US Phenol Floods into China and Elsewhere in Asia
Imports of American phenol flowing into China have increased immensely since autumn 2016. American acetone producers have received numerous business inquiries from customers wanting to use their product in the manufacture of methyl methacrylate (MMA), an ingredient used to make acrylic resin. To cope with this demand for acetone, facilities in the U.S. that produce...
Supplies of Acetone and MMA Remain Tight Amid Higher Demand
Supplies of acetone remain tight. Acetone is primarily used for the production of methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomers, demand for which began to recover last year. Ramped up MMA production operations have thus led to greater demand for acetone as well. Acetone supplies have expanded in the U.S., leading to a surplus of phenol, another product...
China’s New Environmental Regulations Drive up Phosphorus Ore Prices
Market prices for phosphorus ore are increasing in China, a primary producer of this primary phosphoric acid resource. This is due to the fact that distribution volume is now limited, as the government’s environmental regulations have forced mining businesses not owned by the state to stop operations. This has made for a tighter supply–demand balance...
China Increases Benzene Imports by 80% for First Half of 2017
China has already imported more than 1 million tons of benzene this year through the months of January through May. The amount for the entire year of 2016 was just over 1.5 million tons. Continued problems with equipment for producing styrene monomers (SM), benzene’s primary derivative, arose in the U.S. last October. With this leading...
