Entries from Asian Chemical Connections tagged with 'petrochemical'
Is China getting serious?
By Malini Hariharan The Chinese government's position on environmental safety has always been difficult to read. The official position for the last few years has been to reduce pollution by closing down old factories and forcing companies to invest in...
Saudi gas shortage and Iran gas price hikes
By Malini Hariharan The gas shortage in the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia, has been well documented with the situation expected to ease in the longer term once investments in new processing plants have been completed. But in a recent...
Marcellus shale cut down to size
By Malini Hariharan The blog has been reading with interest a recent report about the Energy Information Administration (EIA) cutting its estimate of the Marcellus shale gas reserves by 80% following a recent study by the US Geological Survey (USGS)....
Yet another week of price corrections
By Malini Hariharan Asian petrochemical markets continue to face downward pressure on concerns about the health of the global economy. Market sentiment for most products remains poor with buyers in no rush to resume purchases. Polyolefin markets closed last week...
What's next for PetroChina and Ineos?
By Malini Hariharan After months of talks, PetroChina finally signed a framework agreement with Ineos for partnerships in refining, trading and petrochemicals at Grangemouth in Scotland and Lavera in France. The companies will be working towards the formation of these...
One more view on the cycle
By Malini Hariharan The debate on the next petrochemical upcycle is heating up. After confident forecasts of a "supercycle" the blog is increasingly hearing more cautious assessments Take the recent report from Credit Suisse which stresses that while conditions for...
A dose of caution
By Malini Hariharan Predictions about a steady recovery in petrochemical margins from financial analysts have multiplied in recent weeks and producers too have turned bullish with many expecting to sail through 2011 without any major difficulties. But in the midst...
Petchem markets on a bull run
By Malini Hariharan The Chinese are back from their holidays and they are buying. This coupled with supply constraints and firm crude prices is fuelling a surge in petrochemical prices. Paraxylene (PX) prices hit a 2-year high this week on...
Advantage US?
By Malini Hariharan The advent of shale gas and a fall in natural gas prices has already altered the fortunes of US ethane-based petrochemical producers. And now a new report says that the advantage is here to stay. The Energy...
PTT merger delayed yet again and Map Ta Phut tops new minister's agenda
By Malini Hariharan A merger of PTT Aromatics and Refinery (PTTAR) and IRPC has once again been postponed to early next year due to concerns about legal issues and the business outlook, reports to Bangkok Post. The legal concerns relate...
Petchem stocks attract buying interest
By Malini Hariharan Is this the right time to buy petrochemical stocks? Asian equity analysts are having a tough time answering this question being posed by portfolio managers across the region. They are seeing a 'mini downcycle' emerging with a...
Aramco-Dow project to be scaled down?
By Malini Hariharan If you are moving a project to a new location then why not take some time to re-examine its configuration? That appears to be the thinking at Saudi Aramco and Dow Chemical for their proposed cracker and...
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