US July benzene contract prices settled 19-20 cents lower Friday at $2.51/gal, sources said. Both Phillips 66 and ExxonMobil settled contracts at that level, sources said. Contracts were expected lower because of slow demand and ample feedstocks, despite low imports from Asia, sources said. July could see a rebound in pricing because of a recent

  Senior officials at China’s General Administration of Customs agency are meeting Tuesday to discuss plans to increase checks on seaborne cargo arrivals, a move a number of market sources say could slow down the flow of thermal coal imports into the country. The agenda for the top level meeting was said to include the