Daily Chemical Reactions

Slow Ride – US Demand Stays Robust, Global Supply Response Limited So Far; ESG Outlooks Abound
May 18, 2021
Commodities Mentioned:
Plastics (PVC, PP, PE, PS, PET, etc.), Ethylene, Propylene, Benzene, Isocyanates, Lithium, Carbon Dioxide, Hydrogen, Methanol, Natural Gas/NGLs, Crude/Naphtha
Companies Mentioned:
Arkema, Asahi Glass, Daicel, Daikin, DIC, Hanwha Chemical, Idemitsu, IMCD, Pidilite Industries, Indorama Ventures, YCI Methanol, Kaneka, Kuraray, Ganfeng Lithium, Lenzing, LG Chem, Rompetrol, SI Group, Taiyo Nippon, UBE Industries, Covestro, Westlake, Formosa Plastics, LyondellBasell, BP, Unilever, Lotte Chemical

Daily Chemical Reaction

Slow Ride – US Demand Stays Robust, Global Supply Response Limited So Far; ESG Outlooks Abound

Key Points:

  • Multiple US retailer reports showcase considerable chemical end-market demand strength. We flag HDPE as an example product benefiting from tight domestic downstream conditions that appear set to face mounting headwinds.
  • We highlight Daicel, Hanwha Chemical, Westlake, Kuraray, Kaneka, Indorama Ventures, Covestro, & Idemitsu business & production updates.  
  • USGC spot ethylene and US spot benzene reflect weakness WoW, while USGC spot polymer-grade propylene reflects greater relative support.
  • We discuss the IEA proposed path to zero emissions by 2050, comment on single-use plastics news, and flag multiple carbon producer offset initiatives.
  • The Freightos China-to-US freight rate index surges higher (again) WoW.
  • We note numerous other pertinent chemical sector items in this report.

See PDF below for all charts, tables and diagrams

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