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Asian Chemical Connections

Dalian Reflects China-EU Risks

By John Richardson AT first glance it might seem strange that the Dalian Commodity Exchange’s linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) futures contract has fluctuated so dramatically on news emanating from the Eurozone. The May 2012 contract – the one most actively traded at the moment and therefore the one most closely watched by the market – fell […]

December Polyolefin Price-Rise Bid Will Fail

By John Richardson and Malini Hariharan in Shanghai A TWO-TIER China polyolefin market had developed in China over the last couple of years – but the $64,000 question right now is: At which of these two levels will most business be settled during December? The ever-volatile Dalian Commodity Exchange determines the day-by-day sentiment, while overseas […]

Ouch! China High Inventories At Worst Possible Time

Is The China Party Over? Hope you’ve got plenty of aspirin.. Source: The Daily Telegraph   By John Richardson Apologies to our readers for a fairly quiet week on the blog this week – my fellow blogger Malini and I have been immersed in a week of training courses for our rapidly-growing training business, ICIS […]

Co-Monomer Shortage Provides LLDPE Respite

By John Richardson AN enormous amount of new linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) output should, in theory, be destabilising Asian markets right now due to recent start-ups and increased production at plants brought on-stream last year and in early 2010. But the big question is to what extent global production is being constrained by a shortage […]

China: Playing the Devil’s Advocate

Jim Chanos gets it right more than 70% of the time (unlike Alan Greenspan)   Source of picture: New York Post   Somebody has to play the devil’s advocate, but having just finished reading Gillian Tett’s excellent Fool’s Gold about the financial crisis, this is about more than just trying to provoke a response; it’s […]

Asia Olefins-Polyolefins To Stay Tight Till April

By John Richardson The tight supply olefin-polyolefin supply that has characterised markets since the first quarter of last year continues with no sign of relief for resin buyers until at least early April. But whereas production problems and start-up delays are likely to remain aplenty, the argument for further price hikes has been undermined by […]

Recycling Dip Boosts China By 8-10 Percentage Points

  It can be a dirty business…. Source of picture: www.China-environmental-news-blogspot.com   By John Richardson THE sharp drop in plastics recycling in China has added 8-10 percentage points to virgin polyolefin demand growth in 2009, estimates a major Asian producer. “It’s a much bigger than we had anticipated and we’re of course evaluating whether recycling […]

China PE To Grow By 35% – Latest ’09 Forecast

  Money to be made, or saved, again?….. Source of picture: www.evworld.com   After last week’s estimates, a big producer (who wishes to remain anonymous) has given us his forecasts for the strength of 2009 growth in demand for polyolefins in China – see full details in the article below. Interestingly, he saw the dip in […]

China PE Growth All-Time High

  Source of picture: www.americanprogress.org   By John Richardson China’s high-density polyethylene (HDPE) demand is expected to grow by 38% to around 7m tonnes forecasts CBI China, the Shanghai-based commodity information service. Linear-low density (LLDPE) is expected to rise by 30% to 4.6m tonnes and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) will increase by 20% to 3.4m tonnes, […]

China Polyolefin Demand Set To Rise By 30%

By John Richardson in Shanghai and Malini Hariharan China is set to see polyolefins demand growth of 30% or more this year, depending on the which particular grade, according to preliminary estimates prepared by companies and market analysts. Even if you take into account last year’s relatively low growth rates (I say relative because despite […]

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