China’s exports have dropped for fourth month in a row as the “world’s factory” struggles with weak demand at home and abroad.   Exports fell 8.8% in August compared with a year earlier, while imports dropped 7.3%, official figures show.   However, those declines were not as bad as expected and an improvement on the […]

European polymer prices rose over the week to 1st September. There were increases of 18 and 22 EUR per tonne reported in the prices of Polystyrene and PET. In the UK, prices rose across all grades as the Pound lost value against the Euro.   Asian polymers were mixed with increases of between 5 and […]

Workers at two large liquefied natural gas plants in Australia are set to go on strike from 7 September, in a move that could drive up global prices.   It follows weeks of negotiations with unions over pay and working conditions.   Chevron, the US energy giant which operates the sites, said it would “continue […]

Saudi Aramco is considering selling a stake worth as much as $50 billion through a secondary share offering on the Riyadh bourse after consultations with advisers, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.   The sale could happen before the end of the year, the report said, adding that Aramco has been “sounding out” potential […]

Shares in embattled Chinese developer Evergrande have fallen by around 80% as they started trading in Hong Kong for the first time in a year and a half.   The shares have lost more than 99% of their value in the last three years as Beijing cracked down on property firms.   Evergrande is at […]

European polymer prices were mixed over the week to 25th August. There was an increase of 90 EUR per tonne reported in the price of Polystyrene and a reduction of 20 EUR per tonne noted in the price of ABS. In the UK, prices fell across most grades as the Pound gained value against the […]

British microchip designing giant, Arm, has announced it has filed paperwork to sell its shares in the US.   The Cambridge-based company, which designs chips for devices from smartphones to game consoles, plans to list on New York’s Nasdaq in September.   Arm did not reveal the number of shares for sale or the price, […]

The prospect of a possible strike at a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Australia has pushed wholesale gas prices up in Europe.   The Offshore Alliance union warned that a strike at the North West Shelf facility could start as early as 2nd September if no deal on pay is reached.   Benchmark gas […]

China’s central bank has cut one of its key interest rates for the second time in three months as the world’s second-largest economy struggles to bounce back from the pandemic.   The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) lowered its one-year loan prime rate to 3.45% from 3.55%.   The country’s post-Covid recovery has been hit […]

European polymer prices were relatively unchanged over the week to 18th August. There was an increase of 20 EUR per tonne reported in the price of ABS. In the UK, prices fell across most grades as the Pound gained value against the Euro.   Asian polymers were mixed with a reduction of 10 USD per […]