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Asian Chemical Connections

More evidence of China’s export rebound

Source of picture: Businesweek   More evidence is emerging of the big rebound in Chinese exports resulting from government subsidies, including a Yuan now pegged to the dollar, soft and plentiful bank loans and export-tax rebates. More than 9,000 quality control inspections of goods set for overseas shipment took place in Q3 this year – […]

A fresh vote of confidence for the DCE

By Malini Hariharan (Malini is now joint blogger for Asian Chemical Connections) It helps to have a commodity bull on your side and that’s just what the Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) has succeeded in doing. Jim Rogers, the noted investment guru, will be a senior advisor to the exchange. Jim Rogers is, as always, positive […]

China and M-E Delays To Offer More Market Support

  As this updated table from my colleagues at CBI in China illustrates, cracker-complex delays in China have the potential to further stagger the arrival of new volumes into the market. Chinanewcapacitytable.doc This follows the widespread problems in starting up new capacity in the Middle East. The 800,000 tonne/year Fujian Petrochemical/ExxonMobil/Saudi Aramco cracker is on-stream, […]

China Sept chemical import-surge data

More of the cheap stuff? Source of picture: www.thelocal.de   Some of the China import data for September is now available – showing record-high imports of monoethylene glycol (MEG), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), polyacetal, polycarbonate (PC). “I have given up trying to figure this out. There is not sufficient accurate information anywhere to read a […]

China’s chemical imports up – again!

By John Richardson We don’t have the actual data yet (hopefully, we’ll be able to give you the numbers later this week), but…… ……China’s commodity chemicals and polymer imports “continued to amaze” in September with monoethylene glycol (MEG) shipments hitting an all-time high, said Jean Sudol, president of US-based International Trader Publications Inc (ITP). “Imports […]

All’s well in South Korea – for now

By Malini Hariharan (Malini is now joint blogger for Asian Chemical Connections) South Korean petchem majors are expected to post another quarter of bumper earnings thanks to high operating rates and strong sales volumes. A Seoul-based equity research analyst think this year could well turn out to be a bonus. He expects the fourth quarter […]

China Export Gains Raise Sustainability Fears

  Source of picture: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23512037/     CHINA is making export gains at the expense of other higher-cost competitors that might not be sustainable because of reasons including rising trade protectionism and economic rebalancing. Chemical companies need to factor in this risk – and take into account how overall demand might merely be shifting location […]

China’s Great Growth Gamble

  Source of picture: www.todaysfinancialnews.com China’s feverishly fast construction of roads, power plants and new industrial capacity has been designed to offset the decline in exports – and what a short-term success the policy has been. Of the 7.7% of GDP (gross domestic product) growth recorded for the first nine months of this year, 7.3 […]

China indicates monetary tightening

Confused Direction Source of picture: China Daily     A TIGHTER monetary policy is being evaluated by China’s State Council, one of the country’s most-powerful legislative bodies, according to numerous media reports – including this one from Reuters. And the chairman of China’s sixth-biggest lender was quoted in the Financial Times today as saying that […]

Should Indonesia Add Capacity?

      Source of picture: wartakota.co.id   WESTERNERS can often by unbelievably patronising about Asia’s efforts to climb up the economic self-sufficiency ladder. “South Korea has no business being in petrochemicals,” said a very annoying US industry executive many years ago – one of those situations where your correspondent wanted to punch someone’s lights […]

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