The S&P Index for chemical companies fell in October, by 2.6%, while the wider S&P 500 index rose by 2.3%, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com). From the start of the year, the S&P chemicals index is up 7.1%, while the S&P 500 is up 9.2%.
In other recent chemical-related economic news, U.S. production of major plastic resins was 6.4 billion pounds in September, a total that is 4.2% higher than the same month last year. Year-to-date production for 2014 is slightly lower than the total for the same period last year.
Meanwhile, citing data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the ACC report said that employment in the business of chemistry rose by 0.3% (2,400 jobs) in September.