AKRON, OHIO — North American pricing moves on PVC, polystyrene and some grades of polyethylene are featured in this week's Material Insights video.
A 4-cent per-pound price hike took hold in February on non-film grades of high density PE and on rotomolding grades of linear low density PE. Market sources said the move could affect other PE grades in March. In PVC, prices climbed 3 cents due in part to a strong housing market, while in PS, prices fell an average of 2 cents, following a decrease in price for benzene monomer feedstock.
Several major news announcements from Dow Chemical Co. also are featured in this week's video. The leading plastics and chemicals maker on March 14 announced it would sell its polypropylene licensing and plastics additives units as part of a planned sale of businesses with $1.5 billion in annual sales over the next 18 months. Midland, Mich.-based Dow followed up on March 18 with news that it would add capacity for PE, elastomers and EPDM as part of its massive Gulf Coast expansion. The new capacity is being made possible by newfound supplies of shale gas throughout North America.
