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Standard Thermoplastics Trend July 2010: Polyolefin notations run in place / PVC upswing loses some of its momentum / SM collapses / All styrenics in steady downtrend / Supply mostly limited / Order volume stable / Market may be turning around

Styron announces new executive leadership team

Polyurethane feedstocks in June 2010: Seasonal demand drives MDI and polyols upward / TDI firm at a high level / Outages shorten supply in several production stages / Demand strong / Risk of increases in July

Earnings set to double in 2010 against 2009 / European volumes just 5% below pre-crisis levels / PC is driving recovery / China soon to be largest market / Emphasis on climate change solutions at K 2010

Price hike for PC, compounds and blends

German output down sharply since 2007 / Standard grades and EPS stable / Margins now improving

Polyurethane feedstocks May 2010: Stagnating costs stabilise prices / Bank holidays dampen demand / Feedstock shortages and maintenance limit supply / Risk of price hikes up to the end of Q2

Renewed price hike for PS, ABS and SAN

Polyurethane feedstocks April 2010: Producers' spring offensive drives notations / Raw materials bottlenecks and plant shutdowns / Demand from building and industrial sectors / Trend pointing upward

Standard Thermoplastics Trend April 2010: Prices still spiralling higher / LDPE and PP tightness bites / PP and styrenics see triple-digit rise / Lively seasonal demand coincides with supply shortfall

Engineering Thermoplastics in March 2010: Hikes gather speed / Ongoing import slump / Tight PA 6.6 drives up related materials / Demand definitely improving / Further increases likely

Standard Thermoplastics in March 2010: Further increases go through / Severe shortages of LDPE and PP / Unbalanced production / Imports scarce / Seasonal upturn begins / Price hikes will dominate the picture in April

Reactive polymer material with constantly growing consumption / Spotlight on Asia / Foams dominate the scene / Isocyanate and polyol components make for enormous diversity

Polyurethane feedstocks in March 2010: TDI and polyols point upward on tightening feedstocks and maintenance turnarounds / MDI makes little progress / Slack ordering / Season kick-off with sharp increases

Producers begin to emerge from recession / Capacity cutbacks help boost the bottom line / Asian rebound fuels hopes for worldwide recovery / Overextended players still dealing with crisis

Sale of assets to Middle East buyer? / Preliminary talks on Grangemouth refinery confirmed

Fortune magazine's “most admired” chemical company / DuPont, Bayer, Dow place in top ten

Business alliance for polyurethane systems in the Middle East / New manufacturing plant planned in Saudi Arabia

Engineering Thermoplastics in February 2010: On the road to recovery / Increases all round / Low prices adjusted / Imports scarce with ongoing production cutbacks / Ready for take-off

Standard Thermoplastics in January 2010: Feedstock costs drive notations up significantly / Unusual circumstances / Converters in a bind / End markets put up resistance / Further rises likely in February

Quattor acquisition completed / Largest commodity manufacturer in the Americas / In talks to acquire US operations