The chart above shows how U.S. ethane exports have surged from zero just over a decade ago to nearly 10 million tons per year today—with volumes increasingly flowing to America’s fiercest trade rivals overseas. At BIC Advisory Group, we’ve been analyzing what this means for U.S. competitiveness. The key questions: 👉 Is this smart monetization of surplus shale gas? 👉 Or a “cash now, regret later” strategy? Here’s what our analysis shows: This export boom wasn’t crafted as U.

Understanding the Current Landscape of PE Exports 📊 Fresh analysis from BIC Advisory Group shows that US maritime polyethylene (PE) exports rose 4.8% year-over-year in the first half of 2025 — even as tariff debates dominated the news cycle. The regional picture tells the real story: 🌍 Africa: +47% — the fastest-growing import region for US PE. 🌎 Europe: +16% — a healthy rebound despite policy uncertainty. 🌏 Asia: –8% — April’s US–China trade paralysis is still eviden

Short Answer: Not directly and not by much Long Story: Unlike polyethylene that trades globally, American made PP tends to trade regionally with 2/3 of US exports going to either Mexico (~ 1 Mta) or Canada (~ 0.5 Mta). China, by contrast, imports only ~ 0.07 Mta of American made PP (Chart below). Therefore, a tariff war between the US and China does not have a material impact on US PP production rates.  What about indirect impacts?  If trade wars result in a global recession,

Short Answer: NO Long Story: In spite of the announced tariffs and counter-tariffs, North American polyethylene resin producers still enjoy enough of a feedstock advantage (ethane cracking advantage vs naphtha cracking) to be able to run full and export to the world their production that is in excess of domestic demand. With what is announced to date, only China is becoming cost prohibitive (after tariffs) for the US exporters. However, US exports to China account for (only)