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The ICIS Kavaler Award, sponsored by The Chemists’ Club

By on 25 March, 2013 in Companies

ICIS Chemical Business and The Chemists’ Club are launching a new unique global chemical industry award. The ICIS Kavaler Award, sponsored by The Chemists’ Club, will recognize one CEO or senior executive for outstanding achievement and excellence each year. The key distinguishing feature of this award is that the winner is selected by his/her peers [...]

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Mardi Gras for US petrochemicals

By on 21 March, 2013 in Companies, Petrochemicals

Interesting comments from Wells Fargo analyst Frank Mitsch attending the IHS Global Petrochemicals Conference in Houston, Texas, which had record attendance of around 1,200. “The mood is rather jovial, with every other sentence containing shale gas and cheap ethane,” said Mitsch. “The Middle East, long thought to be advantaged, is having to shift its slate [...]

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Downstream partnerships can take advantage of US shale

By on 21 March, 2013 in Companies, Petrochemicals

Non-US chemical companies may feel like they’re on the outside, looking into the shale gas party. But there’s an opportunity for these firms to take advantage of cheap shale gas feedstocks – through downstream partnerships. There are already plans to build 7 new world-scale crackers in the US. That combined with expansions of existing facilities [...]

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US ethylene and PE margins headed for a record in Q1

By on 1 March, 2013 in Companies, Economy and economics, Petrochemicals

It’s going to be a bonanza in the first quarter for US ethylene and polyethylene producers using ethane/propane feedstock. Buoyed by abundant natural gas liquids (NGL) production from shale gas, margins are headed for record highs, even as spot ethylene prices come off a bit, noted Susquehanna International Group analyst Don Carson. “With increases in [...]

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Latin America’s shale

By on 23 March, 2012 in Companies, Economy and economics, Goverment/International Policy, Latin America

The spotlight on petrochemical investment in the Americas has shone on the US shale gas boom and the resulting rash of planned new ethane crackers that could increase US ethylene capacity by about 32% by 2017-2018. But Latin America’s game-changer could be Brazil’s pre-salt oil and gas bounty, as well as shale gas formations in [...]

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US shale gas boom to lead to petrochemical bust

By on 9 February, 2012 in Companies, Economy and economics, Petrochemicals

The US shale gas boom and the resulting low prices of natural gas are spurring a wave of new crackers and expansions in the country. Ultimately, the US ethylene market could see a 29% increase in capacity by 2017 (see our full analysis in the February 13 issue of ICIS Chemical Business. Three local producers [...]

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Where is the volume growth?

By on 28 October, 2011 in Companies, Economy and economics

As the first wave of third-quarter earnings results come in for the chemical sector, profits have largely been solid, showing year-on-year gains. Earnings were propelled by price increases. Yet, one element has been conspicuous in its absence – that of volume growth. Germany’s BASF, the world’s largest chemical company, posted a 6% year-on-year gain in [...]

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Risk to Q4 chemical earnings estimates

By on 19 October, 2011 in China, Companies, Economy and economics, Petrochemicals

Do third quarter earnings really matter? As we move into the thick of the earnings season, all eyes will be on how the fourth quarter is shaping up and how analysts will handicap fourth-quarter 2011 and full-year 2012 projections. Leading up to results, pre-announcement warnings have been scarce in the chemical group, boding well for [...]

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Refining the red-headed stepchild

By on 28 September, 2011 in Companies, Economy and economics, Petrochemicals

In the Western world, refining is the red-headed stepchild of the oil, gas and petrochemical business. Companies are either selling, spinning off or shutting down refineries – spurred by near-term profitability issues as well as long-term strategic shifts in direction. The desirability, or more aptly the lack thereof, of these assets is highlighted by LyondellBasell’s [...]

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Time to reload the policy guns

By on 11 August, 2011 in Companies, Economy and economics, Goverment/International Policy, Petrochemicals

Wild swings in global stock markets are emblematic of chaos in the collective mindset. Confusion reigns, and who can blame the participants? Wednesday’s 520 point, or 4.6% decline in the US Dow Jones industrial Average marked a third day of heightened volatility. The market was up 4.0% on Tuesday, after a 5.6% crash on Monday. Caught in [...]

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