Market Flash

Machinery, material and tooling suppliers that specialize in liquid silicone rubber are key players at the Fakuma trade show.

• Plastic
• Machinery

Saudi Arabia’s Sadara Chemical has raised its capital by 9% to Saudi riyal (SR) 31.7bn ($8.5bn), with no change in the company’s ownership structure, its 100% indirectly owned company said late on Monday.

• Saudi Arabia

China's central bank governor said the economy could grow 7 percent in the second half of this year, accelerating from the first six months and defying widespread expectations for a slowdown.

• China
• Economy

On September 25, PetroChina South China Marketing Company lowered the price of oil-extended SBS, ending the 3-month’s price uptrend. With the weak prices of synthetic rubber and butadiene, will the road modification-used SBS undergo a price decline?

• Road Modification
• SBS

The NR prices slumped once again in September. The NR futures price at the SHFE kept dropping after the short-term price increase in early September. The highest price and the lowest price at the SHFE were RMB 17,840/mt on September 6 and RMB 14,330/mt ..

• NR
• September

China’s EPDM market fluctuated within a narrow range in 2017. Affected by the environmental protection inspection, market supply was insufficient and the demand was weak

• EPDM
• Ethylene
• Propylene

In the second quarter global yarn production rose by 11 per cent. The drivers of the growth are: Asia and Brazil. Yarn production decreased by ten percent in the US and 18 per cent in Africa.

• Yarn
• Fabric

Beverage giants PepsiCo and Coca-Cola have embarked on a big gamble in India by changing the recipes of their best-selling drinks to include stevia, a plant-based natural sweetener.

• Coke
• Pepsi

On September 27, Shandong Refining and Chemical Energy Company was registered in Jinan. Li Xiangping, president of Shandong Dongming Petrochemical Group,

• Refining
• China

As the world is progressing with an utmost pace, plenty of opportunities get discovered every day in chemical fraternity. Such an immense number of opportunities & wide growth has never been witnessed earlier into the chemical niche.

• Technology

Hair fixative polymers find application in hair styling products such as hair gels, hair creams, hair sprays, hair mousse and various other hair styling products.

• Hair
• Fixative

An additive commonly used in lollies, biscuits, chewing gum and sauces has been found to initiate the early stages of cancers in animals, according to a recent study.

• Titanium Dioxide
• Food Additives

A dozen modified food starches used to make sauces and pie fillings have received regulatory backing after a re-evaluation found no safety concerns with levels currently used in food products.

• Food Additives
• Food
• Safety

Technology company Freudenberg is expanding its business in the food industry, specifically in confectionery. Capol of Elmshorn, Germany, a company belonging to the Freudenberg Chemical Specialities Business Group, has announced the acquisition of Colarôm

• Food Additives
• Freudenberg

Augusta Fiberglass Coatings Inc. announced Wednesday an expansion that will add 12,000 square feet and a dozen new workers to its 230-employee operation in Barnwell County.

• Augusta
• Coatings
• Expand

Successful aseptic presentation of medical devices can be impacted by package design and material selection. Adhesive coatings can have an impact, reports Oliver Healthcare Packaging.

• Coating
• Sterile
• Adhesives

Negotiations over prices of European polyvinyl chloride (PVC) for October shipments to the CIS markets were held last week with most producers further raising export values, according to the ICIS-MRC Price report.

• PVC

The Paris-headquartered International Energy Agency (IEA) sees roughly balanced oil markets next year if OPEC production remains unchanged and weather conditions remain normal, it said on Thursday.

• Oil

China's GDP accounted for 14.8 percent of the world's total in 2016, up by 3.4 percentage points from 2012, said Ning Jizhe, head of the National Bureau of Statistics, on Tuesday

• GDP
• China

OPEC is courting US shale oil producers and other crude-producing nations to join the oil cartel to restore equilibrium price in the market,

• OPEC
• Oil