March 2008 - ICIS Blogs

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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 signs in the Financial...

Published 2 Mar 2008 15:28 by Chemicals & The Economy

Filed under: Economic growth, Oil markets, Financial Events, Leverage, recession, bankruptcy, Anthony Bolton, Fidelity
Traders sell $, buy oil

‘ 'A vicious circle now seems to be in place again, where a lower dollar inspires raw material prices to rally, which in turn increases worries about inflation’. This was how strategists at BNP Paribas summed up the US Fed Chairman’s two days of testimony...

Published 2 Mar 2008 14:39 by Chemicals & The Economy

Filed under: Economic growth, Oil markets, Currencies, Financial Events, inflation, oil prices, Leverage, US Federal Reserve, Hank Paulson, Ben Bernanke
It's raining green dough

Despite US recession fears and volatile stock markets, investments seem to continue pouring in for new technologies related to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) and oil consumption. Last week, several US institutional investors pledged at a U.N. summit a...

Published 3 Mar 2008 0:07 by Green Chemicals

Filed under: biofuels, Investments, solar, investment
A glimpse of Singapore

The rumors about Singapore's cleanliness and discipline are all true! I am back from a week-long Singapore business trip - compliments of specialty chemical company Lanxess, and found interesting green (or lack thereof) tidbits about this tiny 270...

Published 3 Mar 2008 14:39 by Green Chemicals

Filed under: green, General, Government, Singapore
Houston gears up for record-smashing Texas primary

In oil-metropolis Houston, our Americas managing editor, Stephen Burns is all set for Tuesday’s primary … Still digesting the advent of $100/bbl oil (he writes), the US Gulf chemical industry is about to be hit with another first – a primary election...

Published 3 Mar 2008 20:39 by ICIS Chemicals Confidential

Filed under: Texas, chemicals, Clinton, Houston, Obama, Democratic primary
Can Branson save Aviation?

Nice piece by Amy Ziff over on the Huffington Post about Virgin's biofuel powered flight recently. I can't help wondering if we'd be better off using waste materials for fuel, than edible nuts, even if their market is in the Amazon Basin....

Published 4 Mar 2008 12:32 by The Big Biofuels Blog

Filed under: biofuel, biofuels, flight, Branson, Virgin, Ziff, Amy, Richard
The cost of lobbying for biodiesel

The cost of lobbying by the National Biodisel Board in the US has been published by Congress. In 2007 the National Biodiesel Board spent about $1.2m, which seems pretty small beer to me, according to Hemscott Read More...

Published 4 Mar 2008 12:19 by The Big Biofuels Blog

Filed under: USA, US, National, Board, Biodiesel, 2007, Congress, Hemscott, lobby
Lying biodiesel pumps

By Jimminy, the US Biodiesel business needs to react to this post about lying biodiesel pumps quickly and make sure it can repair the damage. Read More...

Published 4 Mar 2008 12:15 by The Big Biofuels Blog

Filed under: America, USA, US, Plausability, B20, pumps, geek, eco, inaccuarcy, blends
Lanxess' Singapore promise

Lanxess said in its press announcement last week that the company will be a good neighbor in Singapore by installing the latest environmental safety technology in its new butyl rubber plant in Jurong Island. The company expects to spend up to $70 million...

Published 4 Mar 2008 0:18 by Green Chemicals

Filed under: Environment, Company initiatives, Investments, Government, Singapore, investment, Lanxess
Hemlines bring good and bad news for the economy

Look at the fashion page of the FT for tortuous connections between pictures of gorgeous girls and economic trends. The FT's demographic can't switch off from business even while reading about designer fashion, so against shots of catwalk models...

Published 4 Mar 2008 17:17 by ICIS Chemicals Confidential

Filed under: fashion, economy, Chanel, hemlines
Plastic toys relocate from China to UK

Cute piece in the FT yesterday about how a plastic toy manufacturer has relocated his production from China to the UK: "Value strategy is no puzzle for toymaker". Although the costs were three times less in China, the advantages of logistics...

Published 4 Mar 2008 17:09 by ICIS Chemicals Confidential

Filed under: China, plastics, chemicals, toys
Thoughts on early morning flights

On the perimeter road of Heathrow there is a stretch where you look straight into the lights of six approaching aircraft coming in to land. In the dark blue dawn sky, the hovering white lights look like alien craft amassing for attack. This week I have...

Published 4 Mar 2008 6:28 by ICIS Chemicals Confidential

Filed under: business travel, Heathrow, flights, Kellaway, early mornings
Buffett says US is in recession

‘If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then its a duck’. This simple logic probably best sums up Warren Buffett’s position on the current state of the US economy. ‘By any commonsense definition’, said Buffett yesterday, ‘ the US is in recession...

Published 4 Mar 2008 17:36 by Chemicals & The Economy

Filed under: Economic growth, Oil markets, Currencies, US $, Financial Events, Futures trading, M & A, Leverage, US recession, US auto sales, Warren Buffett
Balancing economics with the environment

Recent comments by An Qiyuan, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Committee for Shaanxi, warned of the environment and social catastrophe facing the northwestern province of China because of a shortage of water. He was referring...

Published 5 Mar 2008 8:23 by Asian Chemical Connections

Filed under: China, Environment, Dow Chemical, Olefins, Polyolefins, Oil & Gas, coal-to-chemicals, Naphtha & other feedstocks
Eco-terrorists on the loose

Several supposedly green model homes in Seattle were set on fire this week and a shadowy environmental activists called Earth Liberation Front (E.L.F.) claimed responsibility, according to New York Times . A message left by E.L.F. on the burnt properties...

Published 5 Mar 2008 2:20 by Green Chemicals

Filed under: General, arson, terrorists, E.L.F., green house

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March 2008 - ICIS Blogs

Syndication

Recent Posts

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Archives

3 ways to spot a failing business

Traders sell $, buy oil

It's raining green dough

A glimpse of Singapore

Houston gears up for record-smashing Texas primary

Can Branson save Aviation?

The cost of lobbying for biodiesel

Lying biodiesel pumps

Lanxess' Singapore promise

Hemlines bring good and bad news for the economy

Plastic toys relocate from China to UK

Thoughts on early morning flights

Buffett says US is in recession

Balancing economics with the environment

Eco-terrorists on the loose