By John Richardson GOVERNMENT stimulus is crucial for protecting polyethylene (PE) markets in the West from the worst effects of the pandemic, in my opinion. The developing world is a different story because of the rise of extreme poverty. There are other factors behind the resilience of PE demand the US and the EU such […]
Asian Chemical Connections
China Adjusts To “Zero Inflation” In Textiles
By John Richardson CHINA’S polyester chain business is undergoing a painful adjustment period, as the slide above indicates, as a result of: Expectations that cotton prices will drop to a five-year low in 2014-2015. This is largely the result of China’s decision to directly support farm incomes, rather than buying-up ever more cotton stocks. Cotton […]
US Chemicals Still Behind 2007
By John Richardson US chemicals production remains way below its pre-crisis 2007 level but production in Asia-Pacific, after a brief blip in 2009, continues to soar, according to these charts from the American Chemistry Council. Whereas US producers have carried out few capacity expansions since 2007 and are runnning existing plants at lower operating rates, […]
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