Market Flash

On May 14, Toray Industries announced its full-year financial results for fiscal 2025 (April 2024–March 2025), revealing a significant 255.8% leap in net profit to ¥77.9 billion, driven by robust gains in its carbon fiber and composites division.

On May 14, Huajin Aramco Petrochemical and Kingfa Sci. & Tech. Co. formalized a strategic cooperation framework agreement to drive integrated development across petrochemicals and advanced materials.

On May 12, 2025, Peru’s Ministry of Production released draft regulation PEOTCP25003, introducing sweeping measures to tackle the production and import of substandard or adulterated alcoholic beverages.

On May 13, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the FDA kicked off the first comprehensive review of infant formula nutrition standards since 1998.

On May 13, 2025, New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) released an immediate update to its Food Control Plan (FCP), targeting pest control, water standards, and processing protocols.

SONGWON Industrial Group kicked off 2025 with solid revenue gains, but rising costs and legal setbacks in South Korea dented its bottom line.

India has officially imposed antidumping duties of USD 460 to 681 per metric ton on titanium dioxide imports from China, marking a significant move to protect its domestic industry.

Chemical giant 3M has agreed to a staggering $450 million settlement to resolve claims tied to PFAS contamination of natural resources in New Jersey, according to an announcement by the state’s Attorney General on May 13.

Just as global markets were breathing a sigh of relief following tariff cuts agreed between the US and China in Geneva, Brazil’s President Lula landed in Beijing, igniting a new wave of strategic engagement.

As the race toward clean energy intensifies, naturally occurring white hydrogen is emerging as a surprising contender in the global energy game.

In a bold move signaling one of the most comprehensive bilateral investment drives in recent years, Saudi Aramco has signed 34 new agreements with American companies worth a potential $90 billion (approx. RMB 648 billion).

In a bold move marking its latest strategic shift, INEOS has sold its INEOS Hygienics business to SKG Capital Partners, a Middle East-based family office.

3M has reached a major settlement with the state of New Jersey over environmental damage linked to PFAS chemicals, agreeing to pay as much as $450 million (approximately ¥3.24 billion).

Wanhua Chemical is accelerating its push into high-value acrylate monomers, announcing a ¥39.61 million investment to build a new 20,000 tons/year HEMA-HPMA flexible production line, adding to its current 35,000 tons/year capacity.

Sekisui Chemical has done it again—posting a record-breaking ¥81.9 billion in net profit for the third consecutive year, up 5% from the previous fiscal cycle.

According to S&P Global Commodity Insights, global MMA production capacity will rise from 6.4 million tons in 2024 to 7.3 million tons by 2029, with over 900,000 tons of the new capacity coming from Asia alone.

On May 12, 2025, researchers revealed that Ozempic and other GLP-1 receptor agonists may reduce the risk of cancers linked to obesity by up to 41%, offering benefits beyond weight loss.

On May 12, 2025, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced he would sign an executive order to reduce prescription drug prices in the U.S. to match the levels of other high-income countries, which are often 30–80% lower.

The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, two of California’s busiest trade hubs, experienced an unprecedented slowdown: no ships departed from China to these ports in the past 24 hours, marking the quietest moment since the pandemic.

On April 29, 2025, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued document 2025.9370, proposing to expand the use of 3-Fucosyllactose (3-FL) as a novel food in infant products and increase its maximum intake limits.