The global chemical industry continued on a good note as the second quarter progressed, according to data collected and tabulated by the American Chemistry Council (ACC). The Global Chemical Production Regional Index (Global CPRI) shows that global chemicals production rose 0.9% in May, and follows a 0.4% gain in April and drops in the first quarter. During May, production gains were reportedly again across the board among regions. The Global CPRI was up 1.8% year-over-year on a three month moving agerage basis and stood at 115.6% of its average 2012 levels in May.

During May, capacity utilization in the global chemical industry gained 0.4 percentage points to 84.9%. This is down from 85.6% last May and below the long-term (1987-2017) average of 86.4%.