As nearly all manufactured goods are produced using chemistry in some form, manufacturing activity is an important indicator for chemical demand. The chemistry industry is one of the largest industries in the United States, with lingering hurricanes and other supply chain disruptions, the largest decline in chemical production from July to October was in the Gulf Coast region. In fact, chemical output declined in all regions within that time period except for the Northeast. An article by the American Chemistry Council examines chemical production for the past four months.

Shipping Rates Drop, Low Q4 Inventories Expected
Ocean shipping rates from China to the U.S. have fallen sharply—down as much as 68% since June—as importers take a more cautious approach in response