Europe top stories: weekly summary

LONDON (ICIS)–Here are some of the top stories from ICIS Europe for the week ended 3 May.

Freight rates spike again, nudging Europe PET buyers back home
Shipping costs may be making European polyethylene terephthalate (PET) imports prohibitively expensive, giving domestic sellers an opportunity to individually lift prices.

Eurozone manufacturing activity dips again in April as order momentum fades
Eurozone industrial sector momentum sank further into contraction territory in April, to hit a four-month low as new orders declined by the sharpest rate seen in 2024.

Legal confusion limits Europe’s pyrolysis oil trade as tyre-derived price fall
Europe’s tyre-derived pyrolysis oil spot prices fell this week following discussions of increased availability as pilot plants continue to scale, coupled with pressure from low-priced offers from overseas – particularly Asia.

Europe May benzene contract drops in weaker market
The Europe benzene May contract price has settled at €1,117/tonne, down by €151/tonne from April and snapping an uptrend that began in January.

European polyols market bearish as demand pressures continue
Demand for polyols in the European market remains under pressure, as major end sectors are facing difficulties, however there are different views for consumption going into May.