Germany’s BASF weighs new MDI production complex in India

BASF is studying a potential MDI production complex in Dahej, Gujarat, after securing industrial land through BASF India Polyurethanes.
MDI is used in polyurethane products for furniture, consumer goods, insulation, refrigeration and automotive components.
Final decision depends on the study and approvals; BASF says the project could add local supply for India and neighbouring markets.

Fitch Ratings has upgraded Sri Lanka’s Long-Term Issuer Default Ratings to B- from CCC+, with a stable outlook.
The agency cites macro-stabilisation reforms, stronger fiscal and external balances and modest foreign-exchange reserve rebuilding.
Exporters, importers and sourcing teams face improved sovereign risk signals, but high debt, thin buffers and rising external repayments remain concerns.

France’s wholesale and retail trade sales volume was virtually stable in July 2026, slipping 0.1 per cent after a 0.3 per cent rise in June.
Retail trade rose 0.8 per cent, supported by specialised and non-specialised stores, including clothing shops.
Wholesale trade declined, signalling uneven demand for suppliers, distributors and retail sourcing teams.

New Zealand’s apparel imports rose 5.8 per cent to NZ$180.01 million in August 2026.
January–August imports slipped 0.7 per cent to NZ$1.377 billion as the decline narrowed from 1.6 per cent.
Knitted or crocheted fabric imports fell 12.4 per cent in August but rose 12.5 per cent in January–August.
Apparel exports fell 5.8 per cent in August, though January–August exports edged up 0.1 per cent.

Germany’s economy is likely to lose momentum temporarily in the third quarter of 2026, with low Rhine water levels, weaker exports and subdued consumption weighing on activity, the Bundesbank said.Industrial output fell sharply in July, while higher energy prices pushed inflation to 2.9 per cent in August.The recovery is expected to regain pace in fourth quarter.

Egypt is developing eight international logistics corridors linking Red Sea and Mediterranean ports with the Suez Canal, dry ports and industrial, agricultural and mining zones.The projects aim to strengthen trade links with global markets, reduce cargo handling times and logistics costs, and support Egypt’s goal of becoming a major regional logistics hub.

Arkema has secured 3,000 m³ of Glacial Acrylic Acid storage at Ulsan's HDOT terminal, creating a Korean hub for its GAA business.
The capacity aims to improve reliability of acrylic monomer supplies for Korean customers and acrylic-based applications.
It connects production, supply and logistics across Northeast Asia, while ISCC+ certification supports lower-carbon and circular material sourcing.

Fashion and apparel M&A entered 2026 with Skechers’ $63-a-share take-private deal and Prada’s $1.375-billion Versace acquisition showing scale still attracts capital.
PwC says megadeals above $5 billion made up 47 per cent of consumer-markets M&A value through May 2026.
Mid-tier brands face valuation pressure, pointing to more take-privates, distressed sales and brand-IP transactions.

ASEAN and the UK have reaffirmed their economic partnership, with new commitments on trade, investment, supply-chain integration and resilience.Bilateral trade in goods and services reached £62 billion (~$82.7 billion) in 2025, up 17.4 per cent, while UK FDI in ASEAN stood at $9.1 billion.The sides also backed co-operation on digital trade, financial services and green transition.

ASEAN and EFTA adopted a 2026–2030 work plan in Manila under their Joint Declaration on Economic Cooperation.The framework covers free trade agreement implementation, MSMEs, e-commerce, intellectual property, innovation and sustainable trade.It also foresees exploring business missions and business-to-business dialogue, relevant for firms tracking cross-regional sourcing and market access.

Bain-Altagamma says personal luxury goods fell 2 per cent to €358 billion ($410 billion) in 2025, before a 2026 rebound.
LVMH's H1 2026 revenue reached €38.6 billion ($44.28 billion), with Q2 organic growth at 3 per cent.
Europe tourist spending fell around 20 per cent in February 2026, Middle East mall traffic weakened, and L'Oréal briefly overtook LVMH.

BoE held the Bank Rate at 3.75 per cent in September, with a 6–3 MPC vote, as higher energy prices lifted UK inflation risks.
CPI rose to 3.1 per cent in August and may rise further, keeping cost, wage and demand pressures in focus for UK apparel retail and sourcing.
The MPC said it was ready to act to return inflation to 2 per cent, while annual £20 billion gilt sales will run to 2034.

Vietnam’s outbound investment rose 4.7-fold in the first eight months of 2026, while registered FDI reached $40.63 billion, up 55.4 per cent year on year.Trade turnover rose 28.7 per cent to $770.14 billion, and manufacturing PMI hit 53.3 in August, signalling continued expansion in production, trade and investment activity.
Business formation also strengthened during the period.

Vietnam is projected to record the fastest economic growth among Southeast Asia’s six largest economies, with average annual GDP growth of 6.2 per cent through 2035, according to a report by Bain & Company, DBS Bank and Vriens & Partners.The outlook is supported by manufacturing exports, foreign investment and Vietnam’s role in regional supply chains.

AI agents are entering apparel product development, costing and sourcing through launches from PTC, Aptean and Centric.
Research warns up to 90 per cent of AI initiatives fail to scale beyond pilots, blocked by governance, data quality and fragmented tools.
Despite 92 per cent planning more AI investment, only 1 per cent report mature deployment; brands must fix product data.

US final-demand producer prices rose 5.4 per cent in the 12 months ended August 2026, with goods up 7.7 per cent and services up 4.5 per cent.Energy led goods inflation at 24.4 per cent, while foods were nearly unchanged at 0.1 per cent.Transportation and warehousing services rose 13.0 per cent, signalling cost pressure for sourcing and logistics teams.

South Korea’s apparel imports rose 2.82 per cent to $7.901 billion in January-August 2026, with August shipments up 10.98 per cent to $1,283.819 million.
Knitted apparel imports grew 4.64 per cent and non-knitted apparel imports rose 1.47 per cent in the first eight months.
Exports of man-made filaments fell 4.32 per cent, while knitted or crocheted fabrics gained 8.56 per cent.

Industrial production fell 0.1 per cent month on month in the euro area and 0.3 per cent in the EU in July 2026, according to the Eurostat.
Non-durable consumer goods output declined 1.6 per cent in the euro area and 1.3 per cent in the EU as other main groupings mostly rose.
Annual output was stable in the euro area and up 0.3 per cent in the EU, giving sourcing teams a mixed signal.

European hourly labour costs rose 3.1 per cent year on year in the euro area and 3.2 per cent in the EU in Q2 2026, according to the Eurostat.
Construction recorded the strongest increase among business activities at 3.9 per cent in both regions.Bulgaria, Lithuania and Croatia posted the highest wage-cost growth, while Luxembourg and Romania recorded the lowest.

Bangladesh’s gas supply rose to 2,610 mmcfd on Tuesday, supported by 990 mmcfd of imported regasified LNG and 1,620 mmcfd from domestic gas fields.The improved supply is expected to ease pressure on industries, power plants and other gas-dependent consumers that have faced supply constraints, while helping meet the country’s overall demand.

Vietnam is pushing practical cross-border e-commerce training as online exports become a stronger route to overseas consumers and buyers.
Exports through e-commerce were estimated to grow 78 per cent in 2025, taking channel trade to about $4.45 billion.
Programmes will target China, the EU, the US, Japan and the Republic of Korea with market surveys and business matching.

India called on the BRICS Business Forum to strengthen supply chains, expand market access and reduce trade barriers.Discussions focused on logistics, raw materials, regulatory procedures and digital payments, while a proposed BRICS logistics framework could improve cross-border supply-chain resilience and efficiency.

Cambodia is strengthening its digital trade ecosystem as e-commerce revenue is projected to rise from $1.1 billion in 2025 to $1.8 billion by 2029.The government is focusing on digital infrastructure, regulatory reforms and market access, while expanding CambodiaTrade.com to help MSMEs, rural entrepreneurs and women-led businesses reach digital markets.

India and Russia are exploring a digital currency mechanism for trade settlements, with their central banks working on the structure.
The move could reduce payment frictions for exporters and importers as bilateral trade targets $100 billion by decade-end.
BRICS finance officials are also studying faster, lower-cost cross-border payment channels and local-currency settlement options.

Piyush Goyal said India has put textiles among five focus areas to lift India-Russia trade to $100 billion by 2030, with a $50 billion two-way investment aim.
The plan means adding $40 billion from a $60 billion base in four years, requiring more than double-digit annual growth.
Exporters are being asked to flag payment, logistics, certification, standards and visa barriers.

China’s textile and apparel exports rose 3.05 per cent YoY to $203.308 billion in January-August 2026, GACC data show.
Garments and accessories shipments inched up 2.5 per cent, while textile products rose 3.7 per cent.
Imports of textile yarns and fabrics increased 20.6 per cent to $7.709 billion as mills replenished raw materials.

Vietnam’s textile and apparel exports rose 1.7 per cent YoY to $22.2 billion in H1 2026, but heavy import dependence for raw materials remains a key vulnerability.The industry is focusing on localisation, productivity, traceability, digitalisation and green manufacturing to strengthen supply-chain resilience, meet rules-of-origin requirements and sustain competitiveness in global markets.

UK real GDP grew 0.4 per cent in July 2026, extending expansion for an eighth consecutive three-month period.However, retail trade excluding motor vehicles fell 0.5 per cent, signalling softer consumer activity.Services grew 0.6 per cent over three months, while production and construction each contracted 0.5 per cent, highlighting a mixed economic backdrop for apparel and retail demand.

Bangladesh’s NBR has tightened duty-free 10–30 count cotton yarn imports under the bond facility for export-oriented readymade garment factories.
Spinners say the move will lift demand for local yarn, revive mills, boost value addition, conserve foreign currency and support jobs.
BGMEA and BKMEA warn bank guarantees may raise costs, disrupt shipments and weaken garment export competitiveness.

BASF said Cheniere has commissioned Durasorb LNG MAX at its Corpus Christi LNG facility in Texas, across multiple liquefaction trains.
The single-unit adsorption technology removes trace contaminants and water to help prevent freeze-outs and downtime in LNG operations.
Cheniere aims to finish remaining trains by end-2027, with BASF providing adsorbents, modelling tools and technical support.