During the worst month of the pandemic, the United States sharply increased imports of film and sheet made from polyethylene, polypropylene and PET, volumes of each in April at or near record levels. These polymers, among others, are used for personal protective equipment.
Continue readingTag Archives: China
US Shipments of LNG in April 2020 Were Off 14% from March. China Topped the List of Export Destinations.
The US exported 4.4 million tons of liquefied natural gas in April, 2020, still a very high volume but down from 5.1 million tons in March.
Continue readingMajor Decline in US Exports of PVC in April 2020, as Covid -19 Impacts Demand
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.
Continue readingUS 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 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 readingUS Exports of LNG Drop in February 2020
Sharp Drop in Polyethylene Exports From Singapore and Korea to China in February 2020
Exports of ethylene polymers to China accounted for more than half of Singapore’s and Korea’s total exports in 2019 but shipments to China from both countries plummeted in January, and, especially, in February, the most current month available.
Continue readingUnited States Exports of PE Trended Higher in January 2020
After slowing in November, 2019, US exports of ethylene polymers climbed in both December and January 2020. Little impact on volumes and prices from the corona virus is expected in US export statistics for February, with March and following months affected more severely.
Continue readingIran Increases Exports of Polymers in 2019
Exports out of Iran, visible from trading partner imports, were up 23% for ethylene polymers in 2019, 28% for styrenic polymers, and 5% for vinyl polymers. Exports of propylene polymers fell.
Continue reading