Cars are now the largest single market for chemical sales, as housing markets have slowed globally. Each new US car is worth $3297, for example, according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC), making the US market worth $42bn in 2011. 2011 auto sales were ~59m, up 4% from 2010. The West (EU, USA, Japan) still […]
Chemicals and the Economy
“All news is good news” for China’s GDP slowdown
There is no arguing with markets when they are being driven by sentiment, either positive or negative. Last week’s news of China’s slower GDP growth gave rise to opposite interpretations in Asia and the West – but news media reported both were seen as firmly positive: • In Asia, markets “jumped… after news that Q4 […]
A China ‘hard landing’ may be unavoidable
Saturday’s blog post highlighted the risk of a hard landing in China. This risk is very real, and is centred on the government’s need to achieve a difficult balance between reducing today’s high rate of food price inflation, whilst not collapsing the property market. House prices are now falling in 60 Chinese cities. An excellent […]
2012 sees rising political risk, and protectionism
The world enjoyed an economic SuperCycle between 1982-2007. Its largest economy, the USA, suffered just 16 months of recession during the whole 25 years. As a result, social and political issues took a back-seat. Politicians instead competed to occupy the middle ground. Former UK premier Margaret Thatcher’s phrase ‘you can’t buck the markets’, became received […]
China’s producers lose pricing power
China’s economy is slowing rather fast. That’s the only conclusion to be drawn from the above chart. It shows a major collapse in producer price inflation (PPI), from July’s 7.5% peak to just 2.7% in November. The decline from September’s 6.5% level has been particularly dramatic, with the index down nearly 2/3rds in just 2 […]
China’s Minsky Moment may be starting
Long-standing readers may remember the video posted in January 2010 showing ‘China’s empty city’. This was the new city being built in Inner Mongolia, to help ensure local officials met China’s GDP growth target. Unlike the West, GDP in a communist country is a target, not a result. Thus East Germany under communism was alleged […]
China’s slowdown continues
Today’s purchasing manager index shows China’s manufacturing is now contracting across the country. As always, petchem markets have been leading indicators of this slowdown. And worrying, China’s polyethylene (PE) markets are showing no sign of any improvement as we head to year-end. Volume grew 53% between 2008 – 2010 as a result of the government’s […]
China’s debt problems multiply
It seems increasingly clear that China’s economic policy took a wrong turning 10 years ago, when it joined the World Trade Organisation. 2001 was also the year when the Western BabyBoomers (those born between 1946-70), began to leave the peak consumption age group of 25-54 years. As they entered the 55+ age range, and the […]
Fragments from the G20
3 years ago, many hoped the G20 group of the world’s wealthiest countries might work together to solve the global financial crisis. Last week’s Cannes meeting ended that illusion. Instead, its decision to abandon the Doha trade round, launched in 2001, made it clear we have passed the high-water mark of globalisation. This conclusion was […]
Risks rise over future growth in China and India
Many chemical companies now believe it is inevitable that China and India will reach developed economy status. Some even believe that their strong growth will mean “the end of economic cycles”. But as we discuss in chapter 6 of ‘Boom, Gloom and the New Normal’, the new International eChem/ICIS eBook, there are three major risks […]
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