Please see todays Daily Update from EPIC Investment Partners received this morning (09/04/2026):
With Pakistan successfully brokering a fragile peace, the relief rally we have seen across asset classes points to some hope of a return to a more recognisable macro environment.
The main market focus remains on oil and LNG supplies (or lack of them) and the immediate impact on petrol and diesel prices. However, there are a host of other oil and gas derived products which, unsurprisingly, have also seen sharp price rises.
One of the more obvious is fertiliser, much in the headlines. China, India, Brazil, and the US are the largest consumers.
Elsewhere the production cost of various plastics has soared. The conflict pushed up the cost of solar-grade ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) by 43% in March while polyolefin elastomer (POE) resin increased 7%. These two materials are the downstream derivatives of the petrochemical product ethylene which saw a 66% price surge in March.
The solar industry accounts for more than half of the annual EVA demand, among a wide range applications including shoes, cables, and packaging. Some Chinese suppliers can produce ethylene using coal and natural gas and, in total, these sources account for roughly one third of China’s EVA requirements.
Solar module costs and pricing remain highly uncertain in the near term. The severity of the disruption depends entirely on the swift resumption of the supply chain.
For better or worse, plastic products remain crucial to most industries.
Please continue to check our blog content for advice, planning issues, and the latest investment, market and economic updates from leading investment houses.
Andrew Lloyd
09/04/2026