ICIS - Search Articles by Date : January 20 2003 - January 26 2003

Market trends: Naphtha price soars on war fears
Naphtha prices jumped to $330/tonne cif NWE as war expectations rise and Venezuela suffered continued upheaval. Other markets have felt the knock on.... more
(20 January 2003 11:05)

Product profile: Acetic acid
Global demand is continuing to grow at a healthy rate and is forecast at 2.5-4%/year. Asia is a key growth area with new capacity due onstream in.... more
(20 January 2003 11:12)

Lonza Expects Substantial Recovery
Lonza expects its exclusive synthesis business to stage a substantial recovery this year, after a trough in performance during 2002. The more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

Novartis Revives Sandoz Brand Name
Novartis AG is reviving the name Sandoz as an umbrella brand for its global operations in generic medicines. Since the merger of Sandoz and more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

Struggling Vantico Seeks Debt Relief
Vantico, the former epoxy resins and thermosets operation of Ciba Specialty Chemicals, hopes to complete a capital restructuring in the first more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

Vertec Debuts Solvent
The Downers Grove, Ill.-based Vertec BioSolvents has begun marketing a new citrus-based solvent that, according to the company, can provide the more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

Life Sciences in Brief
SANOFI-SYNTHELABO Inc. will delay its application for marketing authorization of antiarrhythmic drug Dronedarone by one to two years on the more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

Jobs and People
George C. Butler George C. Butler has been appointed corporate head of project management at PharmaNet. Mr. Butler has worked in more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

Chemical Commodities Monthly
ACETICACID A 1.5 cent price increase is likely to go through as rising feedstock costs, mainly methanol and natural gas, continue to more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

Novartis Ups Stake in Roche
Novartis AG of Switzerland spent around $2.1 billion in 2002 to boost its stake in rival Swiss pharmaceuticals producer Roche Holding AG to 32.7 more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

Dismal US Soybean Crush Margins to Continue
Soybean processing margins in the US are unlikely to improve for the rest of the 2002/03 marketing year as tight supplies of domestic soybeans and more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

Methanol Soars on Feedstock Costs and Supply Crunch
Methanol pricing has surged on rapidly rising natural gas costs as well as a reduction in volume stemming from a strike by petroleum workers in more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

Feedstocks Place Pressure On Acetic Acid and Derivatives
Feedstock costs are pressuring the acetic acid and vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) industries. Methanol, the main feedstock for acetic acid, has surged more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

Petrochemicals In Brief
BTX Benzene spot pricing fell off a bit late in the week on weaker crude oil pricing. Spot pricing fell as low as $1.85 per gallon from earlier more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

A Broad Product Mix Serves Pfizer and J&J Well in 2002
With earnings at most pharma companies stuck in a holding pattern due to aging portfolios and delayed drug launches, Pfizer Inc. and Johnson & more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

Pharma in Brief
WACKER Chemical Corp.'s fine chemicals division has added two chiral technologies to its portfolio. The company has developed a new asymmetric more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

Qatar Chemical Inaugurates Plant
Qatar Chemical Company Ltd., a joint venture of Chevron Phillips Chemical Company (49 percent) and Qatar Petroleum (51 percent), has inaugurated more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

Information Technology Insights: Outlook 2003: What's in Store For the Chemical Industry
After a very difficult 2002, when spending on information technology (IT) declined or stayed the same for many chemical companies, IT spending will more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

Management In Brief
Funding for Pension Plans Falls Capital markets results for 2002 contributed to a significant drop in pension fund funded ratios, continuing a more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

IT in Brief
EDS, Air Liquide Team EDS Corp. and Air Liquide have signed a five-year contract under which EDS will manage Air Liquide's telecommunications more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

Consumer Product Majors Soak In a Renewed Outlook
Led by Procter & Gamble, top consumer product majors show improved financial performance and a better outlook for 2003. Patricia Van Arnum reports. more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

Spec Chem Recovery Precarious as Companies Tackle Innovation
Companies in attendance at the New York Society of Security Analysts' seventh annual conference on the specialty chemicals industry earlier this more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

Specialties Pricing
Ashland Specialty Chemical Company is increasing the price of its polyester resins, vinyl ester resins, low-profile additives and gel coats by 4c. more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

Surfactant Producers Take a Cautious Path
Consolidation, restructuring and overcapacity mark the surfactants market as producers proceed with caution. Cynthia Challener reports. more
(24 January 2003 21:07)

Qilu Petchem starts VCM, PVC expansions
Qilu Petrochemical, a subsidiary of Sinopec, started work on the expansion of its vinyl and chloralkali plants in Zibo, Shandong, China, last week more
(24 January 2003 09:57)

China's fibre markets under the WTO regime
China’s standing in the global fibre markets has grown steadily under the supportive and protective watch of China’s central government. But this.... more
(20 January 2003 11:35)

PetroVietnam C2: a pipe dream?
On the surface, PetroVietnam's proposed 500 000-550 000 tonne/year condensate-based cracker with downstream facilities appears to be a good idea more
(20 January 2003 11:36)

More time for Indian petchems
The Indian government is expected to accept a new tariff scheme that could give the country's petrochemical sector more time and flexibility to deal.... more
(20 January 2003 11:21)

New China ammonium nitrate rule:makers face higher cost
Chinese producers of ammonium nitrate face increases in domestic transport costs due to security concerns following a new government rule classifying.... more
(24 January 2003 12:36)

Ibra mulls jv for unsold assets
The Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (Ibra) plans to set up a joint venture to handle assets that it is unable to sell before end-December 2003,.... more
(24 January 2003 12:36)

APMP disappointed with tariff-reduction executive order
The APMP is disappointed that full advantage was not taken of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's recent policy statement more
(24 January 2003 12:36)

Bataan PE being liquidated
Creditors take over the BPC's assets, set liquidation process in motion more
(24 January 2003 12:36)

Indon power, fuel hikes: petchems unrelieved
The Indonesian petrochemical industry had its hopes dashed last week when the government announced that it was not abandoning the recent increases in.... more
(24 January 2003 12:36)

Lower Moody's rating not likely to affect Reliance
Moody's recent lowering of its ratings outlook for Reliance Industries is unlikely to have a significant impact on the company's business more
(24 January 2003 12:36)

Doubts over Philippine cracker claim
A source from the Philippine Plastics Industry Association has poured cold water on a claim by the president of the Philippine National Oil Co that.... more
(24 January 2003 12:36)

Asian outlook: Good start to new year
China and the Middle East will continue to be popular spots for investments in new petrochemical projects this year. Tension in the Middle East has.... more
(24 January 2003 12:36)

Asian outlook: Markets are tight
An unusually high number of shutdowns is the main cause, writes Prema Viswanathan more
(24 January 2003 12:36)

Asian outlook: Lure of Chinese market still strong
China will see a decline in government spending next year more
(24 January 2003 12:36)

Asian outlook: Japan - reform efforts stumble
Perhaps the economy in Asia that is most vulnerable to the external environment is Japan's more
(24 January 2003 12:36)

Asian outlook: Corporate reform the key in S Korea
Geopolitical concerns, new regulations and the policies of President-elect Roh Moo-hyun are behind predictions of a slowdown in the economy in 2003 more
(24 January 2003 12:36)

Asian outlook: India hoping for M-E stability
The biggest short-term internal factor that's adversely affecting the growth of the Indian economy is the poor monsoon season more
(24 January 2003 12:36)

Asian outlook: Thailand needs to tackle domestic crisis
The King of Thailand took the unusual step of criticising the country's prime minister late last year more
(24 January 2003 12:36)

Asian outlook: Malaysia:leadership transition
The main risks for Malaysia are the departure of Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister in October, the level of non-performing loans and the external.... more
(24 January 2003 12:25)

Asian outlook: Philippines' GPD growth still US-reliant
The main internal challenge facing the Philippines remains its ballooning budget deficit more
(24 January 2003 12:36)

Asian outlook: Singapore forecasts 2-5% growth
Expectations of a more than 5% rebound in GDP after the recession year of 2001 and the recovery year of 2002 are unlikely to be fulfilled in 2003 more
(24 January 2003 12:36)

Asian outlook: Indonesia struggles to nurse ailing economy
Even before the bombing in Kuta, Bali, many economic forecasters were already certain that Indonesia would fail to meet the government's forecast of.... more
(24 January 2003 12:36)

Asian outlook: Taiwan - trade with China soars
The year 2001 saw the worst performance by Taiwan's economy in 30 years more
(24 January 2003 12:36)

Global roundup
From stories supplied by the CNI and ACN teams more
(24 January 2003 12:36)

Shipping report: All set for an upturn?
Propylene freight rates for USGC–Asia could hit the roof in weeks, say shippers. NEA vessel space for liquids tightens with the approaching Chinese.... more
(24 January 2003 12:36)

VCM prices in SEA surge to $550-580
VCM markets in Southeast Asia have seen a price surge in recent weeks, thanks largely to acutely tight supplies and rising demand from downstream PVC.... more
(24 January 2003 12:36)