Entries from Chemicals & The Economy tagged with 'BASF'
BASF worries about China, India
BASF opened its first China plant 20 years ago. Its Asian strategy focuses on China, Japan, S Korea and India. Thus yesterday's comments by vice chairman Martin Brudermüller deserve careful study by any company or investor who is interested in...
BASF warns on the outlook
Last month, the blog suggested that CEOs might want to warn investors of the threat to earnings from high oil prices, unemployment and economic fragility. BASF, the world's largest chemical company, have done exactly this today. New Chairman, Dr Kurt...
Force Majeures continue to increase
Its now a year since the blog first highlighted the worrying rise in force majeures (FMs) since the Great Recession began. Most disappointingly, continuing strong profitability has not led to any improvement. In fact, as the chart shows, the position...
BASF warn on over-expansion and China
The blog was very interested to see a recent ICIS interview with Torsten Penkuhn, BASF's petchem head in Asia, by Will Beacham. Penkuhn noted: "We are more and more concerned at BASF about an increasing risk of overbuilding once again....
BASF, INEOS establish €5bn Styrolution JV
The styrene business has been increasingly difficult in recent years: • CD and video sales went online, removing the need for polystyrene (PS) packaging • Prices for the main feedstock, benzene, leapt in the mid-2000's, due to US gasoline market...
Brainstorming on biomass
The blog has come across a useful new tool for global brainstorming, run out of San Francisco by DiscoveryCast. They have recently organised a major event with Paris-based SpecialChem to review the current state of play in bio-based initiatives. This...
BASF's Hambrecht hits at China's business policies
The business climate for Western firms in China is getting worse. 2 weeks ago, the CEO of General Electric, Jeffrey Immelt, caused a stir when he told a private dinner that "I really worry about China. I am not sure...
TOTAL moves forward on methanol to olefins
Coal was the original source of most chemicals. It was then replaced in the 1960's by oil-based feedstocks. Their lower cost of manufacturing led to the boom in applications and volumes seen over the past 50 years. More recently, biomass'...
McBride warns of "weak retail sales across Europe"
The blog is a great believer in the retail sector's ability to help us forecast chemical industry trends. McBride is Europe's leading 'own brand' in the household and personal sector. Its profit warning on Thursday of "weak retail sales across...
LyondellBasell to exit Chapter 11
LyondellBasell (LBI) is to exit from Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 30 April, 15 months after entering it in January 2009. The past 15 months have been an expensive lesson for those debt-holders who financed Basell's purchase of Lyondell in July...
IMF targets bankers' FAT
We are often told that investment bankers are much cleverer than the rest of us. But sometimes, they do seem to lack common sense. Their behaviour since the Crisis, in paying out $bns in bonuses to the lucky few, seems...
The need for innovation during the downturn
The blog was recently interviewed by ICIS' Anna Jagger at Vienna Airport, on its way back from the World Refining Conference. The conversation covered the need for companies to focus on innovation, as well as on survival, during the...
CEOs remain cautious over 2010 Outlook
The blog's quarterly survey of company Outlook statements shows CEOs remain very cautious. There has been a rebound after the destocking disaster of Q4 2008 - Q1 2009. But there seems little confidence that we will quickly return to the...
The blog in 2009
The blog is now 2.5 years old. Readership continues to grow, both within the chemical industry and its investment community. It is now read in 121 countries, and 2735 cities, versus 89 countries and 1244 cities a year ago....
Wise words from Shell, BASF and Reliance
In difficult times, the industry looks to the major companies for their advice. And they certainly provided this at our 8th European Conference (co-organised with ICIS), Shell's Jonathan Forbes-Lane, European GM, focused on the "gale-force recession" now underway. He expected...
UK downturn follows the 1930/34 path
Politicians and analysts often focus on selling dreams. Otherwise, we might not be tempted to buy their promises of better times ahead. But those running businesses have to remain realistic. BASF's CEO, Jurgen Hambrecht, did exactly that in his comments...
Insights from LyondellBasell and BASF
Recent comments from LyondellBasell's COO, and BASF's CEO, seem worth highlighting as we come to the end of the results season. Ed Dineen noted that China's polyethylene demand seems partly linked to changes in crude oil pricing, "It turned down...
Companies remain cautious on the outlook
The good news is that the stabilisation seen in Q2 has been maintained. But companies remain cautious on the outlook, to judge from Q3 reports. CEOs are sceptical about the impact of government stimulus efforts in the West, and fear...
China imposes 36% nylon tariff
Protectionism continues to build, as unemployment rises around the world. ICIS news reports China has imposed tariffs of up to 36% on nylon 6. BASF will suffer a 30.4% tariff on US exports, and Honeywell 36.2%. Last month, of course,...
European refining margins drop 85%
Our major Feedstocks for Profit Study last year foresaw difficult times ahead for European refiners. Now it seems this forecast by our partners, refining experts Wood Mackenzie, is coming true. Total, Europe's largest refiner, today reported that European refining margins...
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