Entries from Chemicals & The Economy tagged with 'bankruptcy'

Insolvent US banks can't lend

Many US policymakers are still in denial about the underlying causes of the downturn. They argue it is due to a lack of liquidity, and are thus encouraging 'hot money' to flood into financial markets. But the new 'bubbles' created...

US housing loans still toxic assets

There are two main views on the financial crisis that began last September. The mainstream view, as expressed by the US Federal Reserve, is that it was a problem of liquidity. Banks became frightened to lend, and so the Fed...

Swedish bank takes over Top 50 European automotive supplier from private equity

In 2007, Sweden was the largest private equity market in Europe, as a percentage of the country's GDP. And the local banks lent freely, as elsewhere, to fund investments. Now they, and other Nordic banks, are struggling to minimise their...

V-shaped sellers meet L-shaped buyers

Picture: www.businessoffashion.com A senior figure in the investment community told the blog recently that companies' views on the outlook for the economy seemed to vary according to their own financial position: "the stronger the balance sheet, the more realistic (and...

Difficult decisions loom on future US auto demand

By the end of May last year, 6.2m autos had been sold in the US market, each containing $2700 of chemicals (according to the ACC). The total sales value to the chemical industry was $16.8bn. So far this year, just...

Chrysler bankruptcy to last years, not months

More details are now emerging of the US government's plans for Chrysler. Initially President Obama said he hoped the bankruptcy process would only last 60 days. But according to Bloomberg, the administration now accepts that this period will just cover...

US Fed supports Wall Street earnings, ignores corporate sector risks

In July 2007, the US Federal Reserve warned that "credit concerns were spreading" and estimated that total bank losses due to US sub-prime loans could reach $100bn. Yet now, after the conclusion of its "stress tests", the Fed says total...

Chrysler's bankruptcy marks dawn of new reality

The International eChem team are very experienced in turnarounds and restructurings. We have undertaken these both as employees within our former companies, and then as advisers. This has taught us to be alert for the 'tipping point', when a situation...

GM bankruptcy threatens auto supply chain

It seems highly likely that GM, the largest US car manufacturer, will enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the next few weeks. Chrysler, the 4th largest US company, may well follow them. Even if it avoids bankruptcy, GM's own restructuring...

GM plans 2 month summer shutdown

The prospect of bankruptcy is finally sharpening the knife at GM. As the blog noted last month, inventories are at astronomical levels. 781000 vehicles were in stock at the end of February, and this figure had only dropped by 15000...

Auto suppliers face difficult time as bankruptcies rise

The decline in auto sales is now threatening many industry suppliers around the world: • Today, the main Japanese car parts group has warned that "Toyota's production cuts will cause bankruptcies among suppliers if the government restricts aid to large...

Bank shares drop on LyondellBasell exposure

The fallout from the Lyondell bankruptcy continues to grow. One analyst has suggested Swiss bank UBS has exposure of $500m - $1.5bn. Other banks, including Citi and the UK's RBS, also have large exposures. Writing-off these debts will in turn...

3 ways to spot a failing business

Anthony Bolton of Fidelity has been the UK’s premier stock picker for 30 years. His learnings from his ‘worst disasters’ provide an insider's perspective on how to spot a company that’s about to fail. He revealed his top 3 warning...

Dow, Basell, BASF, SABIC owed $5m in Plastech bankruptcy

Chemical companies tend to trade on ‘open book’ terms with long-established customers. They are also supportive when those customers are facing problems in their end-markets. In a recession, these admirable qualities can become expensive. ICIS news reports tonight that the...

Credit markets ‘worst in 47 years’

Central banks seem to have their work cut out if they are to restore normality to global credit markets. The famed head of Legg Mason, Chip Mason, who manages over $100 billion of assets, and is one of the world’s...