By John Richardson IT HAS been an amazingly half a century of innovation for the petrochemicals industry. The light-weighting of automobiles, combined with booming demand for autos, has delivered many billions of dollars of value to companies. The latest figures from the American Chemistry Council, which only cover North America, give a pointer towards the […]
Asian Chemical Connections
Petchems Pricing Power, Operating Rates Tell Real Economic Story
By John Richardson PETROCHEMICALS and polymers pricing power – how easily petrochemicals producers can pass-on higher oil prices to their customers – is a great measure of the strength of the overall global economy. The reason is that petrochemicals are used to make a huge range of finished goods. In a booming economy, the pass-through […]
US Chemicals Slowdown
US PE contract pricesBy John Richardson THE American Chemistry Council’s Mid-Year Situation and Outlook Report, which was released this week, helps explain the background to the weakness in demand seen in the US polyethylene (PE) market. What goes for PE will, of course, apply to the rest of the US petrochemicals business. In the case […]
China Auto Market Provides Clear Evidence
By John Richardson DESTOCKING is obviously not the main driver of the decline in China’s polyolefins market, despite what a dwindling band of optimists are still arguing. The glaringly transparent reason for the fallacy of the fading belief is a decline in key end-use markets for polyoleifins – and for other polymers and chemicals. Today […]
Lasting Damage To US Chemicals
By John Richardson The huge and long-lasting impact of the economic crisis on the US chemicals industry is detailed in the excellent Year-End Situation and Outlook report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC), which was released late last week. Light vehicle sales and housing starts will still be below 2006 levels in 2015 – the […]
“Middle East To Control Basic Chems In 3-5 Years”
Abu Dhabi ahead in the race? Source of picture: www.gulftrackservices.com By John Richardson The global basic chemicals industry is likely to end up under the dominant control of the Middle East, and possibly Asia, within the next 3-5 years, a senior chemicals industry source told this blog. “We have known for a long time that […]
Crikey, did I eat that much?
Pimco, Mohamed El-Erian, financial meltdown, financial rescue package, American Chemistry Council
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