Datapoints
Allbase Intelligence scans the markets every day: official statistics, producer notices, trade rulings and research, checked at source, each with our view. Newest first.
Used car sales edge up in Q3 as electric share reaches 4.8%
Used car trading barely moved, and second-hand sales put no new demand on composite body panels or battery enclosures. The 23.2% jump in used electric cars is a slow, long-run signal: nothing to act on yet.
SMMTAutomotiveCharted
ALTA Performance Materials to buy BASF's Palatal business in Chile
Ownership of a Chilean composites materials business is changing hands, on the strength of one company's statement and with completion set for Q1 2027. The deal concerns Latin American markets rather than UK supply, so nothing to act on yet.
ALTA Performance MaterialsConstruction
Airbus delivered 74 aircraft and booked 202 gross orders in October
Airbus orders keep outpacing deliveries, so aerospace demand for carbon fibre and prepreg stays firm and continues to compete with industrial users for capacity. This is one company's monthly count, though: nothing to act on yet.
AirbusAerospaceCharted
Bank of England lifts rate to 4% as energy costs climb
Interest rates are up again, with Brent at USD 108/bbl and gas at 216p/therm behind the Bank's inflation outlook. Both feed resin, bitumen and coating costs, so expect producer price notices to follow in the coming months.
Bank of EnglandConstructionCharted
UK construction shrinks faster in October as housebuilding slumps
UK building work is shrinking faster, yet input costs are still rising, so weaker demand isn't pulling material prices down. Expect suppliers to hold their price lists this winter, even as order books thin out.
S&P GlobalConstructionCharted
Euro weakens against sterling in ECB daily reference fixing
Sterling edged up against the euro at this fixing, so resins, fibres and fleece priced in euros land slightly cheaper. A single day's rate is not a trend, and there is nothing to act on yet.
European Central BankIndustrialCharted
October car registrations up 5.4% as battery electric share reaches 32.0%
Car registrations are up and battery electric keeps gaining share, though SMMT expects the gap to the Mandate to widen. Steady support for glass and carbon fibre in battery housings and panels, but nothing to act on yet.
SMMTAutomotiveCharted
Container freight rates slip again, with Asia to Europe down 2%
Container rates eased again this week, with Shanghai to Rotterdam slipping further than the global composite. A small weekly move on imported glass fibre, resin and fleece freight, so nothing to act on yet.
DrewryIndustrialCharted
Airbus hands over 74 aircraft in October and books 202 orders
Aerospace pull on carbon fibre and prepreg stays firm, with Airbus taking orders faster than it builds. That keeps aerospace-grade fibre lines busy, but for roofing, fleece or resin buyers there is nothing to act on yet.
AirbusAerospaceCharted
UK construction material prices rose 7.2% in the year to September
Material costs are still rising across UK construction, with repair and maintenance inputs climbing a little more slowly than the all-work index. For overlays and refurbishment, price the next job at current quotes, not last year's rates.
Department for Business, Innovation, Science and TradeConstruction
UK factory output grows fastest in 25 months as PMI reaches 52.8
UK factories are busier and paying more for inputs, with deliveries slowing. That busier demand competes for the same resins, glass fibre and adhesives that roofing and composite work draws on, so firmer quotes and longer waits look likely this winter.
S&P GlobalIndustrialCharted
EU fixes anti-dumping duties on Chinese polyester spunbond for five years
The duties apply at EU borders, not UK ones, but EU-made roofing membranes on Chinese polyester carriers could rise in price as makers switch supply, and UK buyers may see some of that. On roofing jobs, check where the specified membrane is made and ask suppliers how long quotes will hold.
European CommissionConstructionCharted
UK energy production falls 7.0% while gas-fired generation rises 10%
For green energy and industrial contractors, the diesel rise could feed into site plant, crane and haulage costs on wind and solar jobs, so fixed-price tenders may need a fuel clause. Continued reliance on gas generation means power costs for energy-intensive resin and fibre production could stay volatile and may show up in composite price notices.
Department for Energy Security and Net ZeroGreen energyCharted
Airbus deliveries rise to 547 aircraft in first nine months of 2026
Aerospace demand for carbon fibre and epoxy prepreg is strengthening, on one manufacturer's own figures. Most of that goes to qualified aerospace grades, so for construction and industrial buyers there is nothing to act on yet.
AirbusAerospaceCharted
Airbus expects 970 new-build freighters among 2,670 needed by 2045
A long-range forecast from one aircraft maker, pointing to rising aerospace demand for carbon fibre and prepreg over two decades. New-build freighters are a slow draw on fibre capacity, so nothing to act on yet.
AirbusAerospace
Crude oil input costs drive UK factory prices higher in September
Producer costs are rising faster than producers are charging, which leaves a gap that resin, PVC and coating suppliers will want to close. Expect more price notices this autumn, and agree prices before long jobs start.
Office for National StatisticsIndustrialCharted
Aviation Capital Group firms up its largest order yet: 75 A320neo jets
Narrowbody demand stays firm, but a single order adds to a long Airbus backlog rather than shifting it. Aerospace carbon fibre and prepreg follow multi-year build schedules, so for composite buyers elsewhere there is nothing to act on yet.
AirbusAerospace
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