China’s shadow banking sector has been a major source of speculative lending to the global economy. But 2018 has seen it entering its end-game, as our first chart shows, collapsing by 64% in renminbi terms in January to April from the same period last year (by $274bn in dollar terms). SEE MORE China’s import demand for methanol may remain weak in June following shutdowns of domestic methanol-to-olefins (MTO) facilities, with prices softening after a strong run-up from early April. SEE MORE Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were for the most part weaker on the morning of Friday May 25, down between 0.2% and 0.6%, with copper down by 0.6% at $6,872 per tonne. Zinc was the single exception, up by a marginal 0.1%. SEE MORE European polyethylene terephthalate (PET) players are considering June spot prices as sellers announce further increases due to high demand during a period of tightness. SEE MORE Import discussions in northeast Asia’s spot hydrous ethanol markethave ground to a halt on uncertainty over logistics in Brazil, which is the region’s main supplier. SEE MORE