In early April xxxx, U.S. Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) prices remained stable at slightly elevated levels, underpinned by consistent feedstock availability and steady—albeit cautious—downstream activity. However, macroeconomic headwinds from rising trade tensions—especially the Trump administration&#xx;s proposed xxx auto import tariffs under the revived Section xxx investigation—introduced uncertainty across industrial supply chains. With South Korea, Japan, and the EU being major exporters of both vehicles and chemical intermediates to the U.S., market participants grew increasingly cautious.
U.S. PVA producers operated at steady-to-moderate capacity in early April, supported by stable availability of upstream vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) and acetic acid. Feedstock stability, aided by flat methanol and energy prices, helped maintain cost margins, but rising labour costs and workforce shortages continued to exert pressure on production economics. Intra-Asia freight rates—down xxx since December xxxx—offered some import flexibility for VAM and related raw materials, though...
