Market Flash

US MDI prices rise as outages expose a fragile, highly concentrated supply chain.

The European Commission has approved the acquisition of BASF's coatings business by U.S. private equity giant Carlyle.

• Carlyle
• BASF
• EU

U.S. metal tariff changes could affect chemical plants, equipment, logistics assets and downstream manufacturing costs.

The EU’s China trade shift could move chemicals from price competition into a tougher rule-based market access era.

Supplement recalls are raising pressure on nutrition ingredient testing, traceability, and supplier qualification.

Pharma supply resilience is pushing API and excipient suppliers toward stronger audits and transparency.

EU biocidal data protection extension highlights how regulatory data controls chemical market access.

EU adipic acid duties show Chinese chemical exports to Europe are entering a rule-driven trade environment.

U.S. chemical tariffs are moving from temporary cost pressure to long-term pricing and supply-chain risk.

March 30, 2026, Dalian – The floor price for a sulfur sales tender was set at 6,210 CNY/ton, up 600 CNY from the previous tender, breaking the domestic record for tender floor prices since 2008.

• sulfur

The EU’s plan to expand quotas and tariffs on Chinese imports may look like a trade-protection measure on the surface, but it actually reflects a deeper adjustment in Europe’s industrial strategy.

The EU’s new low-value parcel rules are mainly designed to address tax and regulatory issues in cross-border e-commerce parcels, but their impact will go far beyond e-commerce.

On May 27, China officially clarified the highly anticipated second round of urea export quotas for 2026.

• Urea

VIRESTINA shows resistant weeds are pushing herbicide innovation back to the center of crop protection.

Supplement listing could raise transparency demands across nutrition ingredients and finished products.

New York’s bill could turn GRAS transparency into a new compliance pressure for food ingredients.

Jell-O Simply shows clean-label reformulation is now reshaping mainstream legacy food brands.

Japanese consumer goods companies are raising prices on essential items—including diapers, sanitary products, detergents, and skincare goods—as rising naphtha costs increase their raw material expenses.

• Kao

Over the past few months, the chemical industry’s daily reality has shifted from “fighting for orders” to simply “fighting for raw materials.”

• Chemical Inventory