Shares in China’s largest memory chip maker have soared by nearly 470% as they made their debut on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s tech-heavy Star Market.   The surge has pushed ChangXin Memory Technologies’ (CXMT) stock market valuation to around 3.3 trillion yuan ($487bn; £365bn), making it the most valuable listed company in mainland China.   […]

The Trump administration has announced a ban on new foreign-made humanoid robot imports to the US over “unacceptable risks” to America’s national security.   The move applies to advanced robots – including humanoid and four-legged machines. Many of them are made in China, which is competing with the US to develop robotics and artificial intelligence […]

European polymer prices continued to fall over the week to 24th July. There were reductions of between 30 and 110 EUR per tonne reported in the prices of HDPE, LDPE, LLDPE, Polypropylene and Polystyrene. In the UK, prices rose across some grades as the Pound lost value against the Euro.   Asian polymers rose with […]

The US has imposed new tariffs on 60 trading partners in the latest escalation in the trade war reignited by US President Donald Trump when he returned to office last year.   Those targeted, including the UK, China and the European Union, will face a tariff of 10% to 12.5% on all goods, accounting for […]

Oil prices hit $100 per barrel for the first time since May as the escalating conflict in the Middle East reignited fears over global energy supplies.   Brent crude – the global benchmark for oil prices – rose more than 6% on Thursday following several days of increases as the US stepped up military strikes […]

US President, Donald Trump has imposed a 50% tariff on a wide range of goods imported from Canada, in retaliation for what he called “unequal treatment” of US cars, dairy and alcohol.   Everyday consumer items like wine and hockey sticks and industrial goods such as cement are among the goods targeted. However, several key […]

European polymer prices continued to fall over the week to 17th July. There were reductions of between 50 and 100 EUR per tonne reported in the prices of PET, Polypropylene, PVC and ABS. In the UK, prices fell across all grades as the Pound gained value against the Euro.   Asian polymers rose with increases […]

Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC will invest another $100bn in Arizona as it expands its production in the US, a move the Commerce Department said will create tens of thousands of American jobs.   TSMC makes the most advanced chips designed by companies such as Nvidia and Apple, and the news is a boost for President Donald […]

China has hit out at the nationalisation of British Steel, saying it “firmly opposes and is strongly dissatisfied with the British government’s decision”.   On Thursday, the UK government said that taking the loss-making firm into public hands would protect jobs and safeguard a “vital national capability”.   The UK took control of British Steel’s […]

The chief executive of the German car giant Volkswagen Group has confirmed it is looking to cut up to 100,000 jobs, twice as many as previously stated.   The group, which includes Porsche, Audi, Seat and Skoda as well as the VW brand, had previously said it would axe some 50,000 posts in Germany by […]