It has been a disappointing week in Asia. European markets are mixed, with some routes performing better than others. The United States, however, is looking good for September on almost every trade lane.-by Adrian Brown

U.S. distributors and manufacturers of wax and wax products are bracing for the impact of new tariffs on Chinese imports, which went into effect Sept. 1 after the Trump administration fired its latest shot in the ongoing trade war.

Global lubricant demand has been mostly flat during recent decades, but the geographic spread of that demand has shifted significantly, an industry analyst told a conference last week in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Sasol announced last week that its new 1.5 million tons per year ethane cracker in Lake Charles, Louisiana, reached a milestone in its start-up, producing on-spec for 72 consecutive hours. The crackers ethylene output will be used in six downstream plants to produce derivatives, including some used in metalworking fluids and lubricants.