Monthly Archives: July 2021

China’s Imports of Commodity Polymers Through June 2021 Were Down 11% From the First Half of 2020; Exports Jumped 87%.

After a brief spike in March following the Chinese New Year, imports into China trended downward, a different trend than had been seen over the last three years. Also unusual were exports out of China, which began rising toward the end of 2020 and soared to unprecedented levels in the first half of 2021.

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Huge Increases in Brazil’s Imports of Polyethylene, Polypropylene and PVC Through June 2021

Brazil’s imports soared to record levels in the last half of 2020 and continued there through June of 2021. Exports during the period fell to record lows.

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2.2 Million Tons of Ethylene Trade Was Added Globally From 2010 – 2019, but was Followed in 2020 by a Sharp Contraction.

The volume of ethylene traded globally rose from 5.8 million tons in 2010 to a high of 8 million tons in 2019, then slowed to 7.4 million tons in 2020 because of the pandemic. Regional trade flows shifted dramatically during that period.

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