Americas top stories: weekly summary

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Here are the top stories from ICIS News from the week ended 27 December.

OUTLOOK ’25: US phenol/acetone production to remain curtailed on soft demand
US phenol demand will likely remain soft and weigh on acetone supply in H1 2025 as expectations for a rebound are tempered.

OUTLOOK ’25: US PVC faces oversupply, export challenges
The US polyvinyl chloride (PVC) market is set to face significant headwinds in 2025, entering the year with abundant inventories, expanded production capacity and constrained export opportunities.

OUTLOOK ’25: US chem tanker market growth to support favorable rates; container market readies for port labor issues, tariffs
Growth in the US liquid chemical tanker market is likely to support favorable rates in 2025, while the container shipping market could see upward pressure from possible labor strife at US Gulf and East Coast ports and proposed tariffs on Chinese imports.

OUTLOOK ’25: LatAm chemicals pessimism persists as downturn could last to 2030
For many players within Latin America petrochemicals, 2025 will only be one more stop on the long downturn journey as, for many, the market’s rebalancing will only take place towards the end of the decade.