The U.S. specialty-chemical market volume slipped by 0.1% in January, following gains the previous two months, according to the most recent Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com).
Of the 28 market and functional specialty chemical segments monitored by the ACC, 16 remained flat or declined, while 12 markets expanded. In January, ACC said, “the large gains (1.0% and over) were in adhesives and sealants, flame retardants and textile specialties, with more nominal gains occurring in antioxidants, construction chemicals, dyes, lubricant additives, paint additives, pigments, plastic additives, plasticizers and printing ink.”
In other chemistry-related economic news, the S&P index for chemical companies declined 1.0% during February, while the S&P 500 index rose by 1.1%, according to the ACC report. Since the beginning of the year, the S&P 500 is up 6.2%, while the index for chemical companies was up 3.7%.