Used heavily in construction, which was severely curtailed by the pandemic, PVC exports from the US fell by nearly 90,000 tons from March to April.
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US Exports of Some, But Not All, Ethylene Polymers Slow in April 2020
After trending higher since December and reaching record levels in March, the total volume of US exports across all the ethylene polymers was down in April. Shipments for the month were down 10% from March, but the magnitude of the decline varied greatly by specific polymer and also by region.
Continue readingThailand’s PE and PP Exports Surge in April, 2020, Indicating a Rebound in China’s Imports
Thailand’s exports of polyethylene rose sharply in March and April. Polypropylene exports shot to a new record high after two slow months. Average prices sank.
Continue readingCaustic Soda Global Trade in the First Quarter of 2020
Heavy exports from North America to Latin America, increased exports from Western Europe to various markets but lower imports into the region, and, much lower shipments out of the Middle East and Asia-Pacific were prominent trends.
Continue readingTurkey’s Imports of Caustic Soda up 66% in 2019, and Continuing to Rise
Turkey imported 563,000 tons of caustic soda in aqueous solution in 2019, up 66% from 2019. With imports through March 2020 totaling 148,000 tons, the upward trend looks to continue.
Continue readingBrazil Imports of Caustic soda up 116% versus Last March
Brazil is one of the largest importers of caustic soda in aqueous solution in the world, with YTD imports for 2019 totaling 2.3 million metric tons, up 15% compared to 2018 at year’s end. As of March 2020 YTD, Brazil had imported 709,000 tons, up 116% versus last year.
Continue readingUS Exports of Ethylene Polymers Reach a New High in March 2020
The impact of the pandemic was not yet evident in US exports of ethylene polymers in the first quarter, which climbed each month to an all-time monthly high of 975,000 tons in March.
Continue readingChina’s Imports of Polymers, and, Exports of Fabricated Plastic Products Showed Relatively Small Declines in Q1 of 2020. Exports of PE and PP set new records in March.
Imports of commodity polymers totaled 6.8 million tons in the first quarter, down 5% from the same period, pre-Covid-19, in 2019. Exports of a basket of fabricated plastic products were down 3%, to 2.6 million tons.
Continue readingKorea Exported Record Volumes of PE in March 2020 and Imported High Volumes of Fabricated Plastic Products, Trade with China a Key Factor
Shipments to China accounted for most of the surge in Korea’s exports; China was the source of most of Korea’s imports of fabricated plastic products.
Continue readingEarliest Trends In Brazil’s Polyethylene Trade as of March 2020
Brazil is one of the earliest reporting countries and polyethylene is one of its biggest imports as well as a sizable export.
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