Core Viewpoint - The global economic growth forecast for 2025 has been revised down from 2.8% to 2.6% due to ongoing regional conflicts and new trade tensions arising from U.S. government tariff policies, leading to increased geopolitical uncertainty. The chemical industry is facing market changes and cost pressures, prompting companies to implement capacity optimization and strategic restructuring measures [1]. Group 1: Company Actions - Dow Chemical reported a 65.9% drop in net profit, leading to plans to close three high-cost, high-energy European plants as part of its global capacity optimization strategy [1][2]. - SGL Carbon announced the closure of its Lavradio carbon fiber plant in Portugal due to significant declines in demand for fiber products in Europe and global overcapacity [3]. - Celanese plans to divest its Micromax® product line and increase prices for its engineering materials due to rising transportation and operational costs [4]. - Kraton Corporation will close its Ohio plant and gradually exit the dimer and polyamide production lines to focus on core assets in pine chemicals [5]. - Ascend Performance Materials has initiated Chapter 11 restructuring to reduce leverage while continuing operations for its global customer base [6][7]. - Mitsui Chemicals will permanently reduce its TDI production capacity from 120,000 tons to 50,000 tons, a decrease of 58%, as part of its business transformation strategy [8]. Group 2: Financial Performance - Dow Chemical's Q1 revenue was $10.431 billion, a 3.1% year-over-year decline, with a net loss of $290 million compared to a profit of $538 million in the same period last year [1][2]. - Celanese reported Q1 net sales of $2.4 billion, a 1% increase quarter-over-quarter, driven by a 2% rise in product sales, although some gains were offset by currency fluctuations [4]. - Ascend Performance Materials received a $250 million financing commitment from creditors to support its restructuring efforts [7].