Jumping freight rates, political changes and monsoons are all at play for June in various polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) markets around the world, so while it is potentially a calm month on the surface, there’s a complex mix of factors to watch.

Senior editors for PE and PP, Nadim Salamoun and Ben Lake join senior editor manager Vicky Ellis to discuss the June outlook for Europe, Middle East, South Asia and Africa.

The sentiment for most fertilizer products is bearish due to a lack of strong demand globally.

Following the International Fertilizer Association (IFA) annual conference in Singapore the ICIS fertilizer team discusses the latest trends and developments in the market.

MOL’s €1.3bn polyols project helps move the company’s balance from transport fuels towards chemical production, according to Peter Csaszar, senior vice president, chemicals.

- Long-term, Hungary’s MOL will move towards chemicals as demand for transport fuels declines

- Russia-Ukraine war raised importance of energy security

- Commercial scale start-up of polyols project by end summer-early autumn

- On-spec commercial production expected by end 2024

- Production targeted at Europe

- Europe chemicals still suffering, improvement expected by 2025

- MOL has 35-year contract to manage Hungary’s municipal waste

- Waste provide feedstocks for recycling, energy recovery

- New EU parliament must make industrial policy a top priority