Sen. Barack Obama duly won a landslide victory in yesterday’s US Presidential election, but will not take office until 20 January. I suggested last month in ICB, that “this delay, at such a critical moment, is not good news for chemical companies or for their customers”. The blog therefore congratulates the new President, and expresses […]
Chemicals and the Economy
A debate opens up
Peer Steinbrück, the German finance minister, has joined the growing list of politicians with a view on the current economic crisis. His analysis differs markedly from that expressed by President Bush on Wednesday. ‘The financial market crisis is above all an American problem’, Steinbrück told the Bundestag (German Parliament) yesterday. He added that ‘the current […]
OPEC suggests $200/bbl oil
OPEC used to believe that its fortunes were tied to the health of the global economy. But as I noted last month, its current policy is more reminiscent of ‘the difficult times of 1973/4 and 1979/80’. The evidence for this statement is mounting. Saudi Oil Minister, Ali Naimi, said recently that the Kingdom has ‘no […]
OPEC holds quotas, rebuffs Bush
OPEC’s decision to hold its production quota at last Friday’s meeting came as no surprise to the markets, which were busy taking prices down $2/bbl on renewed fears of a US recession. But it did produce a warning from the International Energy Agency (IEA) that OPEC’s policies ‘threaten the strength of the global economy’. The […]
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