European polymer prices were largely unchanged over the week to 12th December. There was an increase of 15 EUR per tonne reported in the price of Polystyrene. In the UK, prices fell slightly across some grades as the Pound gained value against the Euro.   Asian polymers fell with reductions of between 5 and 25 […]

The UK’s economy shrank unexpectedly in the lead up to the Budget, according to the latest official figures.   The economy contracted by 0.1% in October, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, whereas economists had been expecting it to grow by 0.1%. The economy also shrank by 0.1% in the three months to October. […]

Mexican lawmakers have approved a package of new tariffs, impacting hundreds of products, many of which come from China.   The measures, which President Claudia Sheinbaum has said are needed to boost domestic production, were passed by the Mexican Senate on Wednesday.   The levies are set to take effect on 1 January 2026 and […]

President Donald Trump told a campaign-style rally that consumer prices are falling “tremendously” as he sought to allay voter anxiety about the US cost of living.   In a speech at a casino in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, the president told supporters he had “no higher priority than making America affordable again”.   But […]

European polymer prices were largely unchanged over the week 5th December. There was an increase of 5 EUR per tonne reported in the price of Polystyrene. In the UK, prices fell across some grades as the Pound gained value against the Euro.   Asian polymers fell with reductions of between 5 and 20 USD per […]

The EU plans to restrict exports of some waste containing critical raw materials as it seeks to shore up supplies after China curbed exports of some metals.   Brussels said it would next year propose restricting exports of permanent magnets so they can be recycled to cover a fifth of demand, as part of a […]

The US is set to loosen its fuel economy rules, reversing another Biden-era policy that had been expected to lead to increased take-up of electric cars.   US President, Donald Trump, announced the proposal at the White House, where officials said the prior standards were not realistically achievable and were driving up costs for buyers. […]

Multinational retail giant Costco has sued the US government to secure a full refund of import duties if the Supreme Court rejects President Donald Trump’s authority to impose tariffs without congressional approval.   Costco’s lawsuit urges the federal trade court to declare Trump’s ’emergency’ tariffs illegal, an authority the president says he has under the […]

European polymer prices continued to fall over the week to 28th November. There were reductions of 10 EUR per tonne reported in the prices of LDPE and LLDPE. In the UK, prices fell across all grades as the Pound gained value against the Euro.   Asian polymers also fell with reductions of between 5 and […]

Ineos is filing a raft of antidumping complaints over chemical imports to Europe. The chemicals group says chemicals from Asia, the Middle East and the United States are unfairly undercutting European producers. Yet some analysts doubt that the European chemical sector can be saved by the current antidumping regime.   Imports from China surged by […]