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Fertilizers 2026:Eastern and Western Europe, Baltic states & Balkans, Vienna, Austria, 20-22 January 2026
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LyondellBasell reports Q3 2025 financial results, expects 60% operating rates for European units4 Nov 2025 / ChemCourier. Polyethylene Market Weekly / ChemCourier. Polypropylene Market Weekly / company news

•  imagesRevenue: $7.727 billion, representing an increase of approximately 0.9% compared to Q2 2025 ($7.658 billion) but a decrease of about 10% year on year from $8.604 billion in Q3 2024;

• Net Income (GAAP): Loss of $890 million, compared with a profit of $115 million in Q2 and $573 million a year earlier. The net loss corresponds to a loss of $2.77 per share (EPS), versus a gain of $1.75 per share in Q3 2024;

• EBITDA: -$480 million, a negative result mainly due to one-off asset impairment charges. For comparison, EBITDA stood at $606 million in Q2 2025 and $1.170 million a year earlier;

• Adjusted EBITDA (excluding one-off events): $835 million, below the $1.205 million achieved in Q3 2024 but above $715 million recorded in Q2 2025.

Olefins & Polyolefins Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (O&P EAI) segment

In the Olefins & Polyolefins — Europe, Asia, and Other Markets segment, revenue in Q3 2025 was $2.587 billion, representing an approximate 8% year-over-year decline. LYB sales volumes improved on higher domestic demand for polyethylene supported by the company's strong North American market position, along with higher export flows to key global markets. Polypropylene demand remained weak.

In Europe, operational improvements resulted in higher monomer production volumes, yet polymer prices remained under pressure due to increasing imports from outside the region. The company made impairment charges of approximately $1.2 billion, most of which were related to assets within this segment, significantly impacting the GAAP-reported results.

Production adjustment in Q4 2025

In Q4 2025, Capital expenditures will be reduced to $1.2 billion in 2026 by optimising maintenance spending while supporting the ongoing construction of the company's first chemical recycling plant, MoReTec-1, in Germany.

The comnpany intends to adjust production levels to demand by temporarily shutting down selected facilities for about 40 days. In November, the company plans to take offline its largest ethylene cracker in Wesseling, Germany, and one of the PO/SM production units (propylene oxide/styrene monomer) at the Channelview plant in Texas. This planned downtime will allow for necessary maintenance work and inventory reduction, ultimately helping to better align production levels with current market demand.

The company expects Q4-operating rates of 80% for North American olefins and polyolefins (O&P) assets, 60% for European O&P assets and 75% for Intermediates & Derivatives (I&D) assets.

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Dow reports Q3 2025 financial results27 Oct 2025 / ChemCourier. Propylene Weekly / ChemCourier. Ethylene Weekly / ChemCourier. Polyolefins Market Weekly / ChemCourier. Polyethylene Market Weekly / ChemCourier. Polypropylene Market Weekly / company news

In Q3 2025, Dow Inc. reported an 8% decrease in revenue compared to the same period last year, reaching a total of $9.97 billion. Net income amounted to $124 million, and operational EBIT dropped by 71%, totalling $180 million. Despite these challenges, the company saw an improvement in cash flows, which increased by $330 million compared to Q3 2024, reaching $1.1 billion.

The Packaging & Specialty Plastics segment generated net sales of $4.9 billion in Q3 2025, marking an 11% decline compared to the previous year. The primary factor behind this decrease was lower polymer prices in the downstream segment, which fell by 10% year-over-year. The currency impact increased net sales by 1%; however, volume declined by 1% compared to the previous year, mainly due to lower licensing revenues and olefin sales, partially offset by higher PE volumes. On a quarterly basis, net sales also decreased, primarily due to lower polymer and olefin prices.

Capital losses in this segment amounted to $6 million, a decline of $22 million compared to Q3 2024. This drop was attributed to lower integrated margins in joint venture companies in Kuwait and reduced supply availability in Sadara, caused by an unplanned event in July. Assets in Sadara have since been brought back online.

Operational EBIT for this segment totalled $199 million, a decrease of $419 million compared to the same period last year. The most significant impact on the result was lower integrated margins. However, compared to the previous quarter, operational EBIT increased by $128 million, driven by higher integrated margins, higher operating rates, the launch of a new PE plant in Freeport, Texas, and lower fixed costs.

The Packaging & Specialty Plastics segment saw a decline in net sales compared to the same period last year, due to lower polymer prices in the downstream segment and reduced licensing revenues, which were partially offset by higher demand for flexible packaging. On a quarterly basis, net sales remained stable, as higher demand for flexible packaging was balanced by lower prices.

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BD prices fall in Europe, another consumer closes3 Oct 2025 / ChemCourier. Butadiene&C4s Weekly / prices & market situation

The monthly contract price (MCP) for butadiene has been on a downtrend in Europe since April, and October was no exception. This month, it dropped by €35/t to €800/t FD Northwestern Europe amid challenging market conditions and feeble demand, despite the ongoing maintenance of one of the major producers — INEOS’s steam cracker and integrated 120,000-tpy BD unit in Lavera, France, — which is likely to last until January 2026.

New challenges are looming over the market with local demand expected to shrink further. It has emerged this week that Arlanxeo is going to shut its synthetic rubber facility in Port Jerome, France, due to unprofitability. A final decision will be made after consultation with the local labour council. The plant with the annual capacity of 120,000 t of PBR and 20,000 t of E-SBR was shut in September for a planned turnaround, which was due to last around three weeks. Reminder: the production site previously received BD from ExxonMobil’s unit in Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon, France, via pipeline, but following the facility’s permanent closure in 2024, Arlanxeo had to switch to purchasing feedstock elsewhere by rail.

Another major SR producer Versalis has been actively buying BD lately after it permanently closed its two crackers in Italy: in Brindisi in March and in Priolo in July this year. Happy Pelican vessel has been fixed to load 3,250 t of BD in Moerdijk, the Netherlands, on 4—7 October for delivery to Italy.

Market and shipping sources confirmed that a trading company has chartered two ships for export from Europe to Asia in October. Navigator Gusto will pick up to 13,000 t of BD in ARA in the middle of this month for delivery to Northeast Asia. Another vessel is Trans Catalonia that will carry a combined cargo of butadiene and benzene to China with an estimated 6,500 t of BD and loading scheduled for 20—25 October. Producers had to slash their offers to allow trade between Europe and Asia amid weak local demand and slowdowns in China and South Korea. This week, a 1,500-tonne batch has changed hands at $700/t CIF ARA. Reminder: there were discussions last week where a price level of $750/t was mentioned, while the average price for September-loaded exports was around $800/t FOB ARA.

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Europe
4 Nov 2025South Korean PP by Ulsan Polypropylene via a distributor has been available for European customers on the following terms: Ulsan Polypropylene offers, FOB Busan $/t
4 Nov 2025Amcor announced it achieved its 2025 target of using 10% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic, equivalent to 218,000 t, according to its FY2025 Sustainability Report.
4 Nov 2025LyondellBasell has announced plans to temporarily shut down its larger cracker at the Wesseling site in Germany for scheduled maintenance. The outage is set to begin in
CIS
3 Nov 2025The Global Container Freight Index increased by $11 or 0.6%, week on week, to $1,883, according to the Freightos Baltic Index (FBX). Shipping rates for the carriage of
31 Oct 2025Russia (excl. 20% of VAT) Delivery terms Unit 31 Oct 25 24 Oct 25 Change 3 Oct 25 Change Nov 25* CPT Moscow (Russian K67) RUB/t 72500–73333 72500–73333
30 Oct 2025SPOT PRICES, RUB/t inc VAT* Oct 30 Oct 23 change Styrene FCA VFD 107,000—119,000 115,000—120,000 -4% Downstream ABS CPT CFD 185,000—210,000 185,000—210,000 GPPS
Americas
4 Nov 2025Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway announced a $9.7 billion cash deal to buy Occidental Petroleum’s petrochemical business, OxyChem — its biggest acquisition since
4 Nov 2025Westlake reported a weak third quarter as vinyls markets stayed under pressure. Net sales fell to $2.84 billion and the company booked a $727 million non-cash goodwill
4 Nov 2025LyondellBasell will stop one of its propylene oxide/styrene monomer (POSM) units in Channelview, Texas, for the forty-day maintenance in November. The company’s total
Asia
4 Nov 2025Benzene stocks of East China’s ports grew by 36,000 t to 121,000 t as of 3 November, according to market
4 Nov 2025Styrene supply is expected to improve in Southeast Asia. Singapore’s Aster Chemicals plans to put its styrene unit in Pulau Bukom back into operation around
4 Nov 2025South Korean PP by Ulsan Polypropylene via a distributor has been available for European customers on the following terms: Ulsan Polypropylene offers, FOB Busan $/t
Middle East
4 Nov 2025
4 Nov 2025OPEC+ will pause oil production increases during Q1 2026 after making one final hike in December, as the group weighs its market-share strategy against growing signs of
3 Nov 2025The Global Container Freight Index increased by $11 or 0.6%, week on week, to $1,883, according to the Freightos Baltic Index (FBX). Shipping rates for the carriage of
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Petrochemicals and Polymers

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