In early April xxxx, U.S. Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) prices remained stable at slightly elevated levels, underpinned by consistent feedstock availability and steady鈥攁lbeit cautious鈥攄ownstream activity. However, macroeconomic headwinds from rising trade tensions鈥攅specially the Trump administration&#xx;s proposed xxx auto import tariffs under the revived Section xxx investigation鈥攊ntroduced 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鈥攄own xxx since December xxxx鈥攐ffered some import flexibility for VAM and related raw materials, though...
