China imported 39,000 tons of ethylene polymers from the US in October 2018, down from a monthly high of 102,000 tons in August.
Tag Archives: Saudi Arabia
Little Change in MEG Global Trade Volume Projected for 2018
ITP projects MEG trade volume for 2018 of 15.1 million tons, up 1% from 2017. This compares with an increase of 10% from 2016 to 2017. The trend in global trade volume generally indicates the trend in world demand.
US Exports of Propylene Polymers Drop; Imports Rise
US exports of polypropylene, propylene copolymers and polyisobutylene were down 14% through July 2018, to 1.1 million tons, while imports jumped 36%, to 370,000 tons.
Trends in Butylene Global Trade in 2017
Butylene global trade in 2017 was just over 1 million tons, a 2% increase from 2016.
Surge in China’s Polyethylene Imports in November as Recycle PE Imports Drop
China’s polyethylene imports rebounded strongly in November 2017. This followed a relatively small holiday-related decline in October, versus previous years. Imports of recycle polyethylene continued trending downward, to their lowest monthly volume in the 2013-2017 period.
China’s Imports of Ethylene Polymers Up 20% Through October
China imported 11 million tons of ethylene polymers through October 2017, up 20%. Imports of all grades were up substantially and volume has been heavy since August.
China Imports Butanes at Record Levels
After trending downward for most of 2016 and into early 2017 China’s imports of liquefied butane gases soared to a new record high of 557,000 ton in May and continued to rise in June, reaching 587,000 tons. Average prices slipped in both months, to $433/ton in June.
China’s Imports of Polyethylene from Iran
Through May, 2017, China imported a total of 5.4 million tons of ethylene polymers, up 17% from the same period in 2016. Iran supplied 823,000 tons, or 15%, of the total, down 7%. A restriction on imports into China from Iran, will likely be made up by Saudi Arabia, US, Korea and UAE, among others.
Nearly 5 million tons of PE Film and Sheet is Traded Globally
Preliminary figures for 2016 indicate a 6% increase in global trade volume in polyethylene film and sheet, to just under 5 million tons.
Brazil’s Exports of Commodity Polymers Jumped 28% in 2016; Imports Slowed
Brazil exported nearly 2 million tons of polyolefins, styrenic polymers, vinyl polymers and PET in 2016, up 28% from 2015.