European polymer prices rose over the week to 9th October. There were increases of between 10 and 25 EUR per tonne reported in the prices of PET, PVC, ABS and Polystyrene. In the UK, prices fell across most grades as the Pound gained value against the Euro.   Asian polymers were unchanged apart from an […]

The US jobs market saw a sharp slowdown in September, with employers adding just 29,000 jobs in the final update before the midterm elections.   Headcounts were little changed in major sectors from tech to retail as hiring fell significantly from August, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).   Meanwhile, the […]

India’s federal bank has raised its benchmark interest rate for the first time in nearly four years in a bid to rein in inflation.   The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a 25 basis points increase in its repo rate to 5.5% – this is the rate at which it lends money to commercial […]

US President, Donald Trump has ruled out any sort of joint venture with China in artificial intelligence (AI), arguing it would be tantamount to “giving away secrets” to America’s main economic rival.   Speaking at an event in Washington, Trump again argued against putting any restrictions on the technology that would stifle growth in the […]

European polymer prices were mixed over the week to 2nd October. There was an increase of 10 EUR per tonne reported in the price of Polypropylene and a reduction of 25 EUR per tonne noted in the price of Polystyrene. In the UK, prices fell across most grades as the Pound gained value against the […]

The G7 has announced 100 million barrels of oil and diesel will be released to ease supply concerns that have caused prices to skyrocket.   It includes a “substantial release” of diesel within 20 days, with discussions around “additional diesel releases as necessary”, G7 leaders said in a statement.   The group of advanced economies, […]

More than 100 academics linked to British institutions have unwittingly assisted China’s espionage operations against the UK via a front company working for its intelligence and security services, MI5 has warned.   In the highly unusual public alert, the UK’s internal security service warned universities and academics that continuing ties with China General Technology Research […]

Artificial intelligence (AI) could trigger financial market shocks and the UK needs to be prepared for them, the governor of the Bank of England has warned.   Andrew Bailey said the central bank is watching the huge amounts of money being invested in AI “very carefully” and cautioned that “not everybody always wins”.   The […]

European polymer prices rose over the week to 25th September. There were increases of 10 EUR per tonne reported in the prices of LDPE and Polypropylene. In the UK, prices rose across all grades as the Pound lost value against the Euro.   Asian polymers were mixed with reductions of 20 USD per tonne reported […]

Nigerian billionaire, Aliko Dangote has announced that he is helping to fund a new $660m fuel pipeline between Ethiopia and Djibouti   The project will include a 120km pipeline connecting Djibouti’s Damerjog port to a distribution facility in Dewele, Ethiopia, as well as storage capacity of about 400 million litres.   It is expected to […]