Read about the latest polymer industry trends and material pricing

Market participants in the U.S. polypropylene (PP) market are expecting April prices to fall by around 6-7 cents/lb. ($132-154/tonne) along with feedstock polymer-grade propylene (PGP) prices, sources said in the week that ended on 29 March. Such a decrease may help to improve demand somewhat in the U.S. PP market. Demand has been very weak in recent months as buyers took to the sidelines waiting for prices to fall.
Producers said a 6-7 cent/lb. drop would encourage several buyers to return, adding that many buyers are likely very low on inventory and will need to replenish supplies during the month.

U.S. GDP for Q4 2012 grew at an annual rate of 0.1%, the U.S. Commerce Department said, revising a January estimate that had showed the economy had contracted in the quarter by 0.1%. The improvement came from personal consumption expenditures, non-residential fixed investment and residential fixed investment. Manufacturing in the U.S. should expand by 2.2% in 2013 and 3.6% in 2014 despite political and global economic headwinds, the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI) said.

The U.S. economy added 157,000 jobs in January, but the nation's unemployment rate ticked back up to 7.9% from the December reading of 7.8%. Middle-income Americans were particularly hard hit this month and appear to be losing ground. However, U.S. manufacturing industries saw positive growth in January, according to the Institute for Supply Management's closely watched purchasing managers index (PMI).

U.S. manufacturing grew slightly last month and factory hiring increased. The modest gain suggests the economy entered the New Year with some momentum.

The fiscal cliff is the big worry right now,” said an unnamed executive of a fabricated metal products company quoted by the ISM in its release. “We will not look toward any type of expansion until this is addressed; if the program that is put in place is more taxes and big spending cuts — which will push us toward recession — forget it.

The U.S. economy entered the fourth quarter on solid footing, but the aftershocks of hurricane Sandy and the looming “fiscal cliff” could make for some shakier moments soon.

The U.S. manufacturing sector expanded in September for the first time in four months, according to a closely followed index

Business activity in the United States manufacturing sector decreased for the third consecutive month in August.

US manufacturing contracted for the second month in a row in July, following 34 consecutive months of expansion, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said during the week.

The US economy posted a payroll gain of an estimated 85,000 in June. The Overall unemployment rate is now 8.2% but underemployment moved upward to 14.9%.

The Commerce Department reported the economy grew at an annual rate of 1.9 percent in the first quarter of 2012, slower then first estimated.

The US economy added 115,000 jobs in April, considerably less than the 170,000 that many economists had expected, the US Labor Department said on Friday.