Latin America stories: weekly summary

SAO PAULO (ICIS)–Here are some of the stories from ICIS Latin America for the week ended on 16 November.

NEWS
Brazil to investigate alleged US, Canada PE dumping
Brazil is to start an investigation into polyethylene (PE) arriving on its shores from the US and Canada and whether the material constituted dumping, the government said.

Unipar sees light at tunnel end as prices rise, Argentina revives
Management at Brazil’s chloralkali chain producer Unipar this week held onto improved financial results in Q3, quarter on quarter, to assert the industry may be finally going through the beginning of the end of the downturn.

Mexico confident US will realize tariff-free trade benefits both – Sheinbaum
Renegotiation in 2026 will be key for Mexico to show the US how the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) is equally beneficial for both countries, the Mexican president said this week.

Pemex targets petrochemicals, fertilizers expansion, $2.4-billion savings in 2025
Pemex is to overhaul its La Cangrejera and Morelos petrochemicals complex in Mexico’s southern state of Veracruz to sharply increase production, the state-owned energy major said this week.

INSIGHT: Mexico’s manufacturers hopeful USMCA renegotiation could spare them from tariffs
Policymakers and companies in Mexico are coming to terms with a potential shift in trade policies in the US after Donald Trump’s decisive victory in the presidential election last week.

Mexico in strong position to renegotiate USMCA, tariff panic premature – Braskem Idesa exec
A potential US import tariff of 10% on Mexican goods is looming large on the country’s export and petrochemicals-intensive manufacturing sectors, but it is early days and the worries are premature, according to the head of institutional relations at polyethylene (PE) producer Braskem Idesa.

Brazil’s Petrobras begins commercial operations at gas processing unit in Rio
Petrobras has begun commercial operations at its Natural Gas Processing Unit (UPGN) at the Boaventura Energy Complex in Itaboraí, Rio de Janeiro state, the Brazilian state-owned energy major said on Monday.

PRICING
LatAm PP domestic, international prices stable on sufficient supply, soft demand
Domestic and international polypropylene (PP) prices were assessed unchanged this week across Latin American countries.

LatAm PE domestic prices steady to lower on weak demand, sufficient supply
Domestic polyethylene (PE) prices were assessed as steady to lower across Latin American (LatAm) countries while international prices were unchanged this week.