The U.S. Energy Department reported that crude inventories shrank last week, giving oil prices a boost yesterday, though gasoline inventories rose. Oil prices were up in mid-day trading today, with the WTI 0.2% higher at $45.57/bbl and Brent up 0.4% at $48.36/bbl. Natural gas 9.2% lower at $2.52/MMBtu.
Seadrill Partners is the latest offshore driller to file for bankruptcy in the U.S.
ConocoPhillips is cutting 500 jobs in Houston, a fifth of its headquarters workforce.
LyondellBasell finalized its deal to take a 50% ownership stake in Sasol’s recently completed Lake Charles, Louisiana, petrochemicals complex and will operate the polyethylene assets.
Mexico’s National Centre for the Control of Natural Gas has cut off the natural gas supply to Braskem Idesa, forcing the company to shut down polyethylene production and threaten legal action in a continuing dispute over ethane contracts.
A pandemic-induced decline in virgin plastic resin prices has made recycled plastic comparatively more expensive, adding challenges to an already struggling plastics recycling industry.
Green hydrogen, if successful, could revolutionize global renewable energy prospects and become a $1 trillion industry.
Supply Chain
The surge in e-commerce has contributed to long delays at many of the nation’s ports, especially on the West Coast, with nearby warehouses filling up as supply chains are overloaded with goods.
Container rates from Asia to Europe have reached a 10-year high, partly due to strained shipping lanes as Western retailers restock ahead of year-end holidays.
Rising e-commerce activity is straining the capacity of delivery services, with UPS imposing restrictions on large retailers such as Gap and Nike in the wake of a record cyber Monday.
The Logistics Manager’s Index, a gauge for business activity in the logistics industry, continued to grow in November with a reading of 70.8, where an LMI above 50 indicates industry expansion. The number is slightly lower than the 71.6 posted in October.
Higher insurance premiums and coronavirus-related expenses have pushed vessel operating costs up 4.5% in 2020, the fastest increase in over a decade.
The Supplier Deliveries Index rose to 61.7% in November on congestion at ports and rising coronavirus cases. A reading above 50 indicates slower deliveries, according to the Institute for Supply Management.
Logistics giant XPO Logistics will spin off its contract logistics unit into a separate public company while keeping trucking and freight brokerage operations as a stand-alone business.
We are seeing congested trucking and shipping conditions, backlogs at warehousing and packaging facilities, and tight packaging supplies. Clients are advised to provide expanded lead times on orders to help ensure delivery dates.
Markets
Yesterday, the U.S. suffered 2,157 COVID-19 fatalities, 200,070 new infections and over 100,000 hospitalizations.
As official COVID-19 fatalities in the U.S. approach 275,000, the CDC estimates the real toll is closer to 400,000.
The CDC has shortened the recommended two-week quarantine period to 7 to 10 days for people exposed to COVID-19.
CVS employees will soon be able to administer Eli Lilly’s COVID-19 treatment in people’s homes. The treatment, which helps to keep patients in early stages of the disease from developing serious symptoms, requires an hour-long infusion that jams hospitals and puts others at risk.
Private sector job growth slowed in November, with ADP reporting 307,000 jobs were created, the lowest level since July and well below forecasts as a resurgence of COVID-19 infections shadows the economic recovery.
There were 712,000 first-time jobless claims last week, lower than the prior week but more than three times weekly claims before the pandemic.
Corporate bankruptcies were up 40% in November compared with the prior-year period, while overall bankruptcies were at their lowest level in 14 years as individuals benefited from stimulus programs and eviction moratoriums.
The number of corporate “zombies” — major companies with less cash flow than their interest expenses — nearly doubled to 47 in the third quarter as the pandemic prolongs the cash burn in many sectors.
The Institute for Supply Management index of American manufacturing activity reached 57.5 in November, versus a two-year high of 59.3 in October, with anything above 50 indicating growth. Lean inventories suggest the manufacturing rebound will continue.
Rising COVID-19 cases have stalled a return to offices:
Home-appliance makers are tailoring their products to include better sanitization features, such as sterilizing lights in refrigerators and washing machines with extra high heat.
Business school applications rose for the first time in five years this year, as more students turn toward higher education to weather the poor job market and many schools loosened testing requirements.
Zoom and Microsoft Teams face increased competition from a $27.7 billion megadeal pairing CRM giant Salesforce with the collaboration app Slack, a duo that aims to provide wider opportunities for remote work.
With 30-year mortgage rates at record lows, a wave in refinancing is not expected to let up any time soon.
International
In the wake of becoming the first Western nation to authorize a COVID-19 vaccine, the U.K. ended its national lockdown as new infections continue to fall.
The European Union is criticizing the U.K.’s decision to approve Pfizer’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine, claiming research into the company’s late-stage trials was not thorough enough and urging more caution.
Italy is shutting down Christmas midnight mass alongside travel between regions as the country continues to see more COVID-19 infections than its European peers.
The Australian state of New South Wales recorded its first case of COVID-19 in 25 days after months of rigorous lockdowns nearly eradicated the disease in the region. Australia’s economy returned to growth in the third quarter after a 7% contraction in the second quarter during the lockdowns.
The Asia-Pacific economy is leading the global recovery from the pandemic, with several trade powerhouses, including South Korea and Taiwan, posting elevated growth and export levels.
Canada’s economy grew at a record-setting 40.5% pace in the third quarter, rebounding from historic declines in the first and second quarters, as businesses and stores reopened from COVID-19 lockdowns.
France threatened to veto a Brexit deal if European Union negotiators make further concessions to the U.K.
A diplomatic row between China and Australia is deepening as Australian officials rejected a document from the Chinese government outlining 14 grievances.
Our Operations
Our 3D Printing group has partnered with Advanced Laser Materials (ALM) and EOS North America to distribute selective laser sintering (SLS) materials. Click here to read more.
We are pleased to introduce M. Holland’s new Application Development Engineer for Sustainability, Debbie Prenatt. With 20+ years in the plastics industry, Debbie will focus on developing our portfolio and expanding our expertise in the Sustainability segment to better serve our clients.
Our latest Founders Series video is a tribute to Joan Holland, co-founder and matriarch of M. Holland, who recently passed away.
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.
To access 3D Printing training, order parts and seek technical assistance, visit our online resource.
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.