Steady PEG Demand Holds Firm in US Despite Winter Slowdown and Cautious Buying

PEG demand remained steady in the U.S. in December xxxx, with pharmaceutical creators of xxx of PEG demand stabling flat schedules for their applicators. Personal-care makers reported mid-single-digit growth in skin-care launches, although the quarter end order intake was much lower as they tapped existing inventories. In the CASE (coatings, adhesives, sealants, elastomers) business, architectural coatings production decreased xx month on month as winter celebrations slowed construction, reducing incremental demand. PEG import purchase got cautious by yearend, end-users purchasing PEG for their production only, no forward loading because of the absence of upturn. PEG import remained constant as exporting hubs like Germany and South Korea were running at full steam with no force majeure or weather interruption. U.S. has manageable domestic production of PEG but faced an uptick swing on feedstock ethylene oxide (EO) prices by x.xxx but failed to hamper PEG cost.

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