US coal train loadings dropped 1.2% on week due to decrease in shipments across major basins except Northern Appalachia. SEE MORE Southeast Asian standard-grade muriate of potash (MOP) prices hit a new high this week, as hefty freight costs and tight availability pushed offers up, leaving buyers scrambling for what little volume was available. SEE MORE Russia’s index of chemical production increased by 2.1% in the first quarter, year on year, despite a month-on-moth decrease in March of 2.3%, according to statistical agency Rosstat. SEE MORE This year’s big event in US methanol drew a little closer on Friday as OCI announced that its new Texas plant is mechanically complete. SEE MORE China’s gross domestic product grew 6.8 percent in the first quarter, smack on its pace in the preceding quarter, which was unchanged from the quarter before that. SEE MORE