The Urethane Blog

Everchem Updates

VOLUME XXI

September 14, 2023

Everchem’s Closers Only Club

Everchem’s exclusive Closers Only Club is reserved for only the highest caliber brass-baller salesmen in the chemical industry. Watch the hype video and be introduced to the top of the league: — read more

January 8, 2019

Largest Hacks of 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.dashlane.com

January 8, 2019

Largest Hacks of 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.dashlane.com

January 4, 2019

Propylene Inventories

US propylene stockpiles surpass 5 million barrels

Houston — US propylene inventory moved above the 5 million barrels mark to end 2018 at a 41-month high, data released by the Energy Information Administration showed Friday.

US non-fuel use propylene inventories for the week ending December 28 were at 5.077 million barrels, up 260,000 barrels from a week earlier.

It was the third consecutive week for the domestic propylene inventory to rise, and the first time for stockpiles to cross 5 million barrels mark since the week of July 17, 2015.

The increase came alongside higher refinery utilization rates, which moved up 2.1% to 97.2%.

US propylene spot prices were down early Friday, following the EIA data report. Prompt polymer-grade propylene bid/offers were at 35.50-37.75 cents/lb FD USG Friday morning, down from prices Thursday’s assessment of 38.75 cent/lb FD USG.

–Brian Balboa, brian.balboa@spglobal.com

–Edited by Pankti Mehta, pankti.mehta1@spglobal.com

https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/petrochemicals/010419-us-propylene-stockpiles-surpass-5-million-barrels?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_content=news&utm_term=we-pet&hootpostid=866b1568d08335693fa5472dd8a4aa22

January 4, 2019

Propylene Inventories

US propylene stockpiles surpass 5 million barrels

Houston — US propylene inventory moved above the 5 million barrels mark to end 2018 at a 41-month high, data released by the Energy Information Administration showed Friday.

US non-fuel use propylene inventories for the week ending December 28 were at 5.077 million barrels, up 260,000 barrels from a week earlier.

It was the third consecutive week for the domestic propylene inventory to rise, and the first time for stockpiles to cross 5 million barrels mark since the week of July 17, 2015.

The increase came alongside higher refinery utilization rates, which moved up 2.1% to 97.2%.

US propylene spot prices were down early Friday, following the EIA data report. Prompt polymer-grade propylene bid/offers were at 35.50-37.75 cents/lb FD USG Friday morning, down from prices Thursday’s assessment of 38.75 cent/lb FD USG.

–Brian Balboa, brian.balboa@spglobal.com

–Edited by Pankti Mehta, pankti.mehta1@spglobal.com

https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/petrochemicals/010419-us-propylene-stockpiles-surpass-5-million-barrels?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_content=news&utm_term=we-pet&hootpostid=866b1568d08335693fa5472dd8a4aa22

January 4, 2019

Manufacturing Strength

Manufacturing industry posts biggest annual job gain in 20 years

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The manufacturing industry posted net job gains of 284,000 over 2018, capping its best calendar year since 1997.

A priority for President Donald Trump, manufacturing saw marked hiring in December with an additional 32,000 jobs. Most of the gains occurred in blue-collar durable goods manufacturing, with growth in fabricated metals and computer and electronic products, the Labor Department said in its release. The definition of durable goods is items with a life expectancy of three years or more, such as automobiles, furniture and machinery.

Manufacturing added 207,000 jobs in 2017.

“Manufacturers are bringing people back into the workforce, and we need this trend to continue,” said Dr. Chad Moutray, chief economist at the National Association of Manufacturers. “Our industry currently faces a workforce crisis with more than half a million open jobs today, and 2.4 million jobs expected to go unfilled over the next decade. Closing the skills gap continues to be the top challenge facing manufacturers in the United States and is absolutely essential to ensuring that the sector continues to grow.”

Health care and education saw the greatest month-over-month net change in job growth in December, adding to a year of mammoth job creation in the services sector. Health care alone accounted for more than 50,000 new jobs in December, while the construction and manufacturing sectors added to healthy gains in 2018.

CNBC studied the net changes by industry for December jobs based on the data from the Labor Department contained in the jobs report released Friday. The U.S. economy added a whopping 312,000 jobs last month, more than the 177,000 estimated increase from economists polled by Refinitiv, according to the report.

Health care and education, which combines everything from outpatient care and social assistance to teachers and professors, posted a net gain of 82,000 jobs. Home health care services (+13,300), physician offices (+6,700) and other ambulatory care services accounted for more than 37,000 new positions while social assistance services added 7,700 jobs. Education added 24,000 jobs.

“Job gains occurred in health care, food services and drinking places, construction, manufacturing, and retail trade,” the Labor Department said in a release. Retail trade employment, usually marked by larger swings in employment around the holiday season, added 23,800 jobs for the month.

Construction added 38,000 jobs in December, with gains in heavy and civil engineering and nonresidential specialty trade construction. That sector added 280,000 jobs in 2018, topping the 2017 gain of 250,000.

Leisure and hospitality saw a net gain of 42,000 jobs. That industry includes workers in the arts and entertainment space, as well as hotel employees and members of the food service industry.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/04/manufacturing-posts-best-calendar-year-for-job-gains-since-1997.html