ICIS - chemical podcasts

SINGAPORE (ICIS) -- India’s PVC demand is expected to strengthen in the short term, driven by agricultural sector demand and restocking, but ample supply and policy uncertainties may weigh on market sentiment. Weak demand, high inventories pressure prices to multi-year lows ADD final findings delayed; uncertainty around implementation persists Oversupply concerns rise with new capacities, trade barriers in focus In this chemical podcast, ICIS market specialist Aswin Kondapally discusses recent market conditions, along with the near-term outlook.

Fresh from the European Coatings Show 2025 in Nuremberg, Germany, ICIS looks over the key talking points and challenges facing the key sectors.The main challenges are the ongoing sluggish demand, coupled with the wider geopolitical volatility and economic headwinds.Attending ECS '25 for ICIS and speaking on this podcast are: Mathew Jolin-Beech on acrylic acid (AA), acrylate esters, and methyl methacrylate (MMA) Jane Gibson on phenol, acetone, and refinery solvents Nick Cleeve on isopropanol (IPA), Vinyl Acetate Monomer (VAM), Methyl Isobutyl Ketone (MIBK), Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) Heidi Finch on TIO2 and epoxy resins

The new European Commission talks the talk on rescuing chemicals but has not yet turned words into action as deindustrialisation gathers pace.-          Change of tone from new Commission-          New strategic dialogue with chemicals on competitiveness-          Well intentioned, but not enough detail on action plan-          Conflict between competitiveness and Green Deal objectives -          Watering down or delaying existing legislation moves the goalposts, adds legal uncertainty-          US has a patchwork of state-level and federal regulation-          EU-US regulatory alignment is moving towards divergenceThis podcast was recorded on 26 March. ICIS journalist Will Beacham interviews Thomas Delille and Peter Sellar of UK-US based law firm Squire Patton Boggs.

European propylene oxide (PO) and styrene monomer (SM) will remain oversupplied following the closure of LyondellBasell and Covestro’s flagship complex in the Netherlands, but the erosion of local capacity is leaving markets increasingly fragile.  In this podcast, ICIS Insight editor Tom Brown speaks to Nicole Simpson, ICIS markets editor for PO, and Fergus Jensen, senior editor for styrene, about the likely fallout from the planned shutdown. Europe PO market chronically oversupplied, operating rates remain low Further shutdowns needed for PO market to come back into balance LyondellBasell may be able to meet demand from Europe, US plants Styrene market also looks to more shutdowns, but closure further reduces Europe capacity Domestic market increasingly dependent on imports, making the market increasingly fragile Shipping delays and plant outages having a more dramatic impact Still over 700,000 tonnes excess capacity in Europe PO market PO remains difficult to transport, infrastructure limited to allow imports to Europe Players starting to invest in import facilities, but remain in early stages POSM capacity continues to exceed demand, but PO a more of a driver than styrene Three other POSM units remain in Europe

Join Mark Victory, a Senior Editor for Recycling in Europe, and Helen McGeough, the Global Analyst Team Lead for Plastic Recycling, as they dive into Europe's recycling industry. They discuss the urgent need for investment in collection and sorting capacities, emphasizing the significance of high-quality waste for scaling chemical recycling. Mark and Helen also tackle the stark disparities in infrastructure investment across EU member states, and the economic risks associated with neglecting Europe's waste management challenges. A crucial conversation for a sustainable future!

The Plastics Recycling Conference is underway in National Harbor, MD, and Senior Market Editor Emily Friedman and Senior Analyst Corbin Olson break down the key topics among discussions and presentations at the show: US recycling capacity for select polymers for food-contact applications remains under 10% Sustainability-driven grades continue to see 30-200%+ premiums on PCR Tariffs, legislative changes amid top factors influencing market outlooks

The chemicals sector M&A market could see the start of a revival this year, with private equity firms and other strategic investors keen to put war chests of capital to work in a muted growth environment, but political and economic factors remain a concern.In this podcast, ICIS insight editor Tom Brown speaks to Federico Mennella, managing director for industrials at investment bank DC Advisory, about the economic outlook and shifting trends in global chemicals dealflow. Rebound still expected but timing has been pushed back towards the end of the year on trade uncertainty, energy pricing and economic stability Strategic investors have war chests of cash and are looking to M&A in difficult organic growth environment Interest strong for North America chemical sector opportunities due to competitive energy pricing Questions over whether a financial investor could do something with Europe assets that the current owner cannot Private equity continues to drive M&A Increasing trend for bids for assets not in play More flexibility in transactions, with investors taking certain assets out of a wider package Global M&A activity has remained below pre-pandemic levels in size and volume Slight rebound occurring, multiples slightly lower Financing costs remain elevated compared to pre-COVID era Disconnect between buyers and sellers on valuations narrowing

SINGAPORE (ICIS) -- Asia propylene (C3) editor Julia Tan speaks with Asia ethylene (C2) editor Josh Quah about the impact of recent tariff wars on downstream market sentiment, along with the markets' outlook for the second quarter. NE Asia C2 to see demand support from new PVC start-ups in China NE Asia C3 length to weigh on markets; import demand weak amid ample domestic supply New capacity start-ups in China to lengthen supply in olefins markets in Q2

SINGAPORE (ICIS)-- Asia and Mideast isocyanates prices climbed rapidly immediately after the Lunar New Year holiday, followed by sharp corrections in mid to end-February. Ample supply has weighed on overall sentiment, and limited recovery in demand is expected for the rest of March.  Asia MDI, TDI prices fall after Lunar New Year holiday  Ample Asian supply to keep buyers in China, SE Asia cautious  Post-Ramadan recovery in Middle East to be capped by sufficient availability In this podcast, ICIS markets editor Shannen Ng and markets reporter Isaac Tan discuss market conditions and expectations for the near future.

Moves by Germany and across Europe to boost defence spending could give a significant uplift to the region’s beleaguered chemical industry.-          Need to maintain robust national or regional supply chains may benefit chemical industry in Europe, which is threatened with closures-          German defence/infrastructure spending boost could be 2% of GDP, larger than increase linked to German reunification, post-war Marshall Plan-          Rising defence spending in Europe would help boost electricity demand significantly, estimates vary from 7%-30%-          Data-driven technology for defence would also raise electricity demand-          Will raise demand for gas and renewable-based power-          Europe will need to become more self-sufficient in energy, driven by renewables