The news that shuttered US phenol/acetone producer Haverhill Chemicals will sell its Ohio plant to a producer of industrial water treatment salts came as a surprise to some market participants, ICIS Americas phenol/acetone market reporter Dustin Hall tells senior market editor John Dietrich in this podcast recorded Thursday.

Hall and Dietrich discuss challenges the new owners will face in light of weakness in the phenol/acetone markets and examine what bankruptcy filings released this week reveal about Haverhill’s operations.

Ashland’s decision to spin off its Valvoline business is part of a larger trend of chemical company divestitures, ICIS Americas Deputy News Editor Al Greenwood tells pricing reporter Dustin Hall in this podcast episode recorded on Wednesday.

US September propylene contract pricing fell to a six-year low this week, ICIS Americas senior editor John Dietrich tells pricing reporter Dustin Hall in this podcast recorded on Friday. Dietrich explains the dynamics behind the decline and examines how new propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plants could affect the outlook for propylene.

The global decline in crude oil pricing has caused some producers to take a closer look at new US plant projects including ethane crackers and propane dehydrogenation units, ICIS Americas deputy news editor Al Greenwood tells pricing reporter Dustin Hall in this podcast recorded on Wednesday.

A production cut by the largest producer of paraffin wax in the US has left a cloud of uncertainty over the direction of the market, ICIS Americas senior market editor Judith Taylor tells pricing reporter Dustin Hall in this podcast recorded on Thursday.

Unusually weak spot pricing put downward pressure on the US August ethylene contract settlement and could drive market volatility in the weeks ahead, ICIS Americas senior market editor John Dietrich tells pricing reporter Dustin Hall in this podcast recorded on Thursday.

Stock market indexes across the world were down sharply on Monday as investors reacted to new concerns about slow growth in China and other signs of economic weakness, ICIS Americas deputy news editor and senior correspondent Al Greenwood tells pricing reporter Dustin Hall in this podcast. Greenwood explains factors that contributed to the decline and examines how energy and petrochemical companies have been affected.

US methanol production capacity is set to increase substantially even as prices have fallen sharply in recent months, ICIS Americas senior market editor Bobbie Clark tells pricing reporter Dustin Hall in this podcast recorded on Wednesday.

US ethylene pricing continues to fall and recent declines in crude oil are a significant factor, ICIS Americas senior market editor John Dietrich tells pricing reporter Dustin Hall in this podcast recorded on Friday.

Beyond the usual talking points are a series of lesser-known factors weighing down on the price of crude oil, ICIS Americas senior market editor Ignacio Sotolongo tells pricing reporter Dustin Hall in this podcast recorded on Tuesday.