By John Richardson
WHY is it that even though demand in the US for petrochemicals is still well below the 2007 peak, as indicated by the latest American Chemistry Council capacity utilisation chart, the November ICIS Petrochemical (IPEX) for the …
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China’s Overshadowing Economic Importance
By John Richardson
AS we head into this weekend’s crucial November plenum , it is worth remembering that there is no chemicals and polymers market to compare with China’s in volume terms anywhere else in Asia.
Take polyproplyene (PP) as …
European Chemicals: Rescue Efforts Continue
By John Richardson
THE battle to save the European chemicals industry from widespread plant closures is wider than just at the Grangemouth complex in Scotland, the UK
In Holland, for example, the Dutch chemicals industry trade body - Vereniging van …
US Housing Recovery? What Recovery?
By John Richardson
A SUSTAINED US housing recovery is vital for the global petrochemicals industry because, without it, far too much of the 64% of ethylene capacity, which is due to be added in the States, will have to …
China PE Market Strength Questioned
Dear blog reader – a technical error, beyond our control, means that we are unable to upload the tables and graphs for today’s post. Watch out next week, as, when the problem has been solved, we will add the missing …
The Rebirth Of Naphtha Cracking
By John Richardson
Might cracking naphtha in Asia, Europe, and perhaps even the US, once again become so attractive that it starts to challenge the big advantage currently being enjoyed by cracking ethane?
Yes, perhaps. Opportunities could arise to …
Guaranteeing The “Trickle Down” Effect
By John Richardson
THE average-paid worker in a US company has to work for more than a month to earn what her or his CEO will earn in just one hour, according to this video from Adam Mordecai – the …
No Ethylene Margins Peak In 2016
By John Richardson
FORECASTS of European capacity closures and project delays and cancellations have led some financial analysts to the conclusion that there will be a peak in ethylene margins from 2016 onwards.
This will provide a few years …
US Petchem Feedstock Costs: Not All Gloom for Asia
YESTERDAY we examined some of the factors shaping long-term outlook for polyethylene (PE) exports to China. And, today, as promised, we go into detail on another part of the story: Influences on future feedstock-cost position of US producers.
What follows …
China PE Imports: A Long-Term Outlook
By John Richardson
THE chart below is worth revisiting, and pondering again, as we attempt to assess the future of polyethylene (PE) exports to China.
In the case of the Middle East, as the chart shows, it has been …
