China has unexpectedly cut a key interest rate for the first time in almost two years as official figures showed its economic growth had slowed.   GDP grew by 4% for the last three months of 2021 from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said.   That was better than most economists had […]

European polymer prices rose over the week to 14th January. There were increases of 22 and 50 EUR per tonne reported in the prices of PET and ABS. In the UK, prices fell slightly across some grades as the Pound gained value against the Euro.   Asian polymers also rose with increases of between 10 […]

The UK economy surpassed pre-Covid levels for the first time in November after recording stronger-than-expected growth.   The Office for National Statistics said gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 0.9% between October and November.   That was higher than economists’ expectations and meant the economy was 0.7% larger than in February 2020.   But there […]

The global economy faces a “grim outlook”, World Bank president David Malpass has warned, as the aftershocks of the pandemic continue to weigh on growth, especially in poor countries.   His organisation’s latest forecast predicts global growth will slow to 4.1% this year from 5.5% in 2021.   It attributed the slowdown to virus threats, […]

Hiring in the US slowed last month, as firms struggled to hire workers and continued to grapple with the effects of coronavirus.   Employers hired just 199,000 people in December, a second month of weaker than expected gains.   But the jobless rate dropped sharply to 3.9% and wages rose, the Labor Department said.   […]

European polymer prices were relatively unchanged over the two weeks to 7th January. There was an increase of 20 EUR per tonne reported in the price of ABS. In the UK, prices fell across all grades as the Pound gained value against the Euro.   Asian polymers were mixed with increases of between 10 and […]

Taiwan has said it will set up a $200m fund to invest in Lithuania as it tries to fend off Chinese diplomatic and trade pressure on the Baltic state.   Taipei said it aims to make its first investment later this year and the money is guaranteed by its national development fund and central bank. […]

Shares in scandal-hit China Huarong Asset Management have closed down by 50% after a state-backed bailout of almost $6.6bn.   The company’s shares resumed trading on Wednesday after a nine-month suspension on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.   Huarong rocked Asian stock markets in August last year when it revealed a record loss of close […]

Despite opposition from industry groups and provinces, the Government of Canada is moving forward with a comprehensive plan to address plastic pollution.   On 21st December, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the Minister of Health announced draft regulations under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) banning certain single-use plastics deemed to […]

European polymer prices were mixed over the week to 24th December. There were reductions of between 10 and 20 EUR per tonne reported in the prices of LDPE, LLDPE and Polypropylene. There were increases of 20 and 22 EUR per tonne noted in the prices of  Polystyrene and PET. In the UK, prices fell across […]