More COVID-19 news relevant to the plastics industry:
Supply
The Brent crude price broke above $45/bbl, trading early today at $45.37/bbl, while the WTI price was at $42.45/bbl.
The EPA plans to rescind rules requiring oil and gas drillers, pipelines and storage facilities to monitor and fix releases of methane, which accounts for an estimated 10% of greenhouse gases.
Marathon is among companies taking advantage of a temporary provision in the March relief bill that permits companies to apply this year’s losses against profits earning in prior years, when tax rates were higher. The company looks to receive a tax refund of $1.1 billion.
Delta’s foray into the energy business with its 2012 acquisition of a Pennsylvania oil refinery to secure fuel supplies has proven to be a liability during the pandemic.
Supply Chain
We’re seeing the truckload freight market continuing to tighten with some LTL shippers resorting to truckload quantities due to capacity constraints in the LTL freight market. Clients are advised to provide expanded lead times on orders to help ensure delivery dates will be met.
We’re seeing rising spot freight pricing due to capacity constraints in the industry.
Beyond the transportation challenges, our Gold Standard logistics partners and U.S. ports continue to operate without interruption.
Markets
The national average for new COVID-19 infections has trended down for the past two weeks, with just 13 states experiencing rising case counts, down from 42 states a month ago.
Florida set a record for hospitalizations with 3,355 COVID-19 patients admitted between Sunday and Monday.
There’s been a 90% increase in COVID-19 cases among children in the past four weeks. Deaths among U.S. children in the past few months number 90, nearly as many as the 100 annual deaths typically experienced among children from the flu.
Talks in Washington on a fourth recovery package remained stalled, while governors voiced concern about the cost and administrative burden the White House’s recent executive orders will impose on states.
The $600 supplemental unemployment benefit that expired last month cost the government $250 billion. Loss of the supplement could significantly impact consumer spending.
The U.S. budget deficit fell to $61 billion in July as the government collected record receipts on delayed income tax payments. Through 10 months of the fiscal year, the deficit stands at $2.8 trillion, twice the previous record set during the Great Recession.
The White House is considering cuts in income and capital gains taxes for middle-income earners.
Employers posted more job openings in June as closed bars and restaurants reopened, but overall hiring remained tepid. Workers quitting their jobs rose 25% from May, an unusual trend during recessions, possibly due to health risks of working.
U.S. small business optimism fell in July in response to COVID-19 spikes around the country.
Russia registered a COVID-19 vaccine it calls Sputnik V without conducting Phase 3 human trials, prompting skepticism and safety concerns in the West.
Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine candidate, while still not in human testing, showed promise in providing “complete or near-complete protection” in the lungs of animals with a single dose.
TSA passenger screenings were down 75% in July compared with the prior-year period but were the highest since early in the pandemic.
The pandemic is permanently reshaping the economic landscape, with some firms thriving, some adapting and some facing imminent extinction.
The White House hopes to accelerate the growth of 5G internet technology by freeing segments of the wireless spectrum from military to commercial use.
Electric truck startup Nikola received an order for 2,500 refuse trucks from waste manager Republic Services.
Online used car dealer Carvana, known for its multi-story, glass vehicle dispensers, reported a 25% increase in vehicle sales in the second quarter, boosted by increases in online sales and used car demand during the pandemic.
Online sales now constitute over 11% of total retail in the U.S.:
The Association of Plastics Recyclers’ certification program for post-consumer recycled plastics for packaging is gaining traction.
Confusion reigned about the future of college football, as the Big Ten said it will decide today whether to cancel the 2020 season after initial reports yesterday that it made such a decision over the weekend. The initial report prompted outspoken reaction from coaches, players and fans.
The White House is considering immigration rules to bar citizens and legal residents from entering the country if they are suspected of having COVID-19.
New Zealand, which over the weekend celebrated 100 days without a community transmission of COVID-19, reported three new cases yesterday.
Alternative data such as credit card usage, travel and location information suggest that economic activity is plateauing in many developed countries at below pre-pandemic levels.
Passenger car sales in China increased 7.7% in July compared with the year-ago period, the biggest increase in two years.
The number of people employed in the U.K. fell by the most since the Great Recession in the quarter ended June 30 as unemployed workers face a cliff when government jobless benefits end in October. The country only counts those looking for work as unemployed, which significantly undercounts actual job losses.
Join us for our next Fireside Chat on August 19. Panelists from M. Holland and Plante Moran will discuss the new USMCA and how it will impact businesses, the economy and the plastics industry. For more information and to register, please visit our website.
To access 3D Printing training, order parts and seek technical assistance, visit our new online resource.
Market Expertise: M. Holland offers a host of resources to clients, prospects and suppliers across nine strategic markets. To arrange a videoconference or meeting with any of our Market Managers, please visit our website.
M. Holland’s official status statement is available here.
Thank you,
M. Holland Company
We will provide further COVID-19 bulletins as circumstances dictate. For all COVID-19 updates and notices, please refer to the M. Holland website.
We and selected third-parties use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL third-party cookies. For more details about cookies and how we use them, read the full Data Privacy Policy.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. For more details about cookies and how we use them, read the full Data Privacy Policy.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement
1 year
Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Cookie
Duration
Description
__cf_bm
30 minutes
This cookie, set by Cloudflare, is used to support Cloudflare Bot Management.
bcookie
1 year
LinkedIn sets this cookie from LinkedIn share buttons and ad tags to recognize browser ID.
bscookie
1 year
LinkedIn sets this cookie to store performed actions on the website.
lang
session
LinkedIn sets this cookie to remember a user's language setting.
lidc
1 day
LinkedIn sets the lidc cookie to facilitate data center selection.
UserMatchHistory
1 month
LinkedIn sets this cookie for LinkedIn Ads ID syncing.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Cookie
Duration
Description
_ga
2 years
The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_ga_S6SF7JZ2WY
2 years
This cookie is installed by Google Analytics.
_gat_UA-7828007-1
1 minute
A variation of the _gat cookie set by Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager to allow website owners to track visitor behaviour and measure site performance. The pattern element in the name contains the unique identity number of the account or website it relates to.
_gcl_au
3 months
Provided by Google Tag Manager to experiment advertisement efficiency of websites using their services.
_gid
1 day
Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
CONSENT
2 years
YouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data.
vuid
2 years
Vimeo installs this cookie to collect tracking information by setting a unique ID to embed videos to the website.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Cookie
Duration
Description
_fbp
3 months
This cookie is set by Facebook to display advertisements when either on Facebook or on a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising, after visiting the website.
fr
3 months
Facebook sets this cookie to show relevant advertisements to users by tracking user behaviour across the web, on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.
IDE
1 year 24 days
Google DoubleClick IDE cookies are used to store information about how the user uses the website to present them with relevant ads and according to the user profile.
personalization_id
2 years
Twitter sets this cookie to integrate and share features for social media and also store information about how the user uses the website, for tracking and targeting.
test_cookie
15 minutes
The test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
5 months 27 days
A cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
YSC
session
YSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
yt-remote-connected-devices
never
YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
yt-remote-device-id
never
YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
yt.innertube::nextId
never
This cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.
yt.innertube::requests
never
This cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.