April 2008 - ICIS Blogs

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Interesting analysis of credit crunch causes

I thought the following Executive Summary of the causes of the credit crisis was hard to beat: 'Investment banks leapt into commercial banking without the deposit base, while commercial banks went into investment banking without knowing risk management...

Published 28 Apr 2008 10:25 by Chemicals & The Economy

Filed under: Economic growth, Oil markets, Financial Events, M & A, Leverage, Wall Street, global downturn, Pension funds
Projects and protests

I am back from my holiday and have discovered no earthshaking developments in the last few weeks. But the following news articles caught my eye. First, Dow Chemical’s European arm and GACL have agreed on a 50:50 joint venture to produce 200,000 tonnes...

Published 23 Apr 2008 8:40 by India Chemicals Blog

Filed under: Environment, aromatics, R&D, Dow Chemical, Companies, Refining, Petrochemicals, GACL, Government Policy, Speciality Chemicals, Bhopal, IOC, Olefins, Paradip, MRPL, Vishakhapatnam, chloromethanes, Kakinada, Mangalore
Periodic Table Tie

Continuing the Blog’s fascination with Perfect Chemical Presents (the Periodic Table Mug and Shower Curtain ), Brian Williams of Oxyde was seen sporting this Periodic Table Tie in the ICIS suite at NPRA. Read More...

Published 2 Apr 2008 22:10 by ICIS Chemicals Confidential

Filed under: fashion, NPRA, Oxyde, periodic table
The search for more basic petrochemicals

Very interesting speech from Alan Kirkley, Vice President of Strategy and Portfolio for Shell Chemicals, which first of all goes over the predictable ground of where we are in the cycle and the threat from the Middle East. However, he then makes the valid...

Published 10 Apr 2008 8:26 by Asian Chemical Connections

Filed under: Economics, China, technology, Middle East, Olefins, Polyolefins, Projects, Oil & Gas, Markets, Naphtha & other feedstocks, catalytic cracking, hydrocracking, LNG
History will surely repeat itself

The mood at the recent NPRA International Petrochemical Conference in San Antonio, Texas, was mixed, despite all the economic gloom. Some producers said they were still making money - especially those selling into manufacturing sectors benefiting from...

Published 8 Apr 2008 8:05 by Asian Chemical Connections

Filed under: Economics, China, technology, aromatics, Japan, oil prices, Polyolefins, Projects, Business, Oil & Gas, Markets, US recession, gasoline, US housing
Oklahoma to plant 1000 acres with switchgrass

Oklahoma to plant 1000 acres with switchgrass to demonstrate whether it is suitable as a cellulosic biofuel . According to PR newswire, the site will be 35 miles from Abengoa's biorefinery in Hugoton, Kansas . Seeral thoughts strike me. Why not just...

Published 25 Apr 2008 14:54 by The Big Biofuels Blog

Filed under: America, USA, US, biofuels, Abengoa, Oklahoma, switchgrass, Kansas
INEOS’ Grangemouth plants on strike

Ineos’ 200,000bpd Grangemouth refinery in Scotland is on strike today and tomorrow , over a pension dispute. This will presumably cost the workers 2 days pay. The costs for INEOS and the UK are enormous in comparison. BP, for example, has had to shut...

Published 27 Apr 2008 22:15 by Chemicals & The Economy

Filed under: Economic growth, Oil markets, Financial Events, M & A, Leverage, Goldman Sachs, Ineos, Jim Ratcliffe, Scotland, Sunday Times Rich List
Earth's wonders

The US Environmental Protection Agency celebrated Earth Day with a photo contest, and most of the photos are really amazing to behold. Here are this year's winners. You can also check out the finalists at the EPA website . Category: Enjoying the environment...

Published 24 Apr 2008 12:39 by Green Chemicals

Filed under: Environment, General, EPA, photos
Predrag back to Kolmar

There was great hilarity at NPRA when traders Kolmar announced that Predrag Sasic had returned to the Kolmar fold, just seven months after quitting. His original reason for leaving was that he didn’t want to move to Zug with the company. In the meantime...

Published 2 Apr 2008 21:43 by ICIS Chemicals Confidential

Filed under: trading, NPRA, traders, Zug, Kolmar
‘Sometimes those questions lead to war’

The weekend’s finance minister meeting in Washington DC seems to have been quite different from its predecessors. Not only did they apparently have an ‘informal brainstorming session’ at one point, but they also found themselves confronted with two major...

Published 15 Apr 2008 10:22 by Chemicals & The Economy

Filed under: Economic growth, Oil markets, Currencies, Financial Events, credit crunch, food and energy costs, Leverage, IMF, World Bank, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Robert Zoellick
OPEC suggests $200/bbl oil

OPEC used to believe that its fortunes were tied to the health of the global economy. But as I noted last month , its current policy is more reminiscent of ‘the difficult times of 1973/4 and 1989.80’. The evidence for this statement is mounting. Saudi...

Published 30 Apr 2008 11:25 by Chemicals & The Economy

Filed under: Economic growth, Oil markets, Currencies, Financial Events, oil prices, Leverage, OPEC, global downturn, King Abdullah, President Bush, Naimi
Coal it off!

International green groups has given the World Bank's recent announcement of a $4.2bn clean energy investment in India a very coal-d reception. IFC , a member of the World Bank Group, will finance in the building of a total 4,000 megawatt coal-fired...

Published 10 Apr 2008 13:34 by Green Chemicals

Filed under: price, Environment, India, Company initiatives, Investments, coal, IFC, Sierra Club
‘Longer, deeper, wider’

Singapore is one of the global economic success stories of recent decades. Its sovereign wealth fund, GIC, is one of the world’s largest fund management companies, with assets of over $100bn. And GIC has already been active during the early stages of...

Published 21 Apr 2008 13:42 by Chemicals & The Economy

Filed under: Economic growth, Oil markets, Currencies, Financial Events, Leverage, Singapore, global downturn
Germany in green spotlight

Green activities seem to be expanding and flourishing in Germany. One particular session from the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing conference being held in Chicago this week focused on recent industrial biotech developments...

Published 28 Apr 2008 13:06 by Green Chemicals

Filed under: Biotechnology, green, Investments, R&D, Government, investment, renewable, Germany
A tale of two outlooks – part 2

In an early blog last July , I marvelled at the contrast between the then upbeat nature of financial markets, and the gloom apparent elsewhere. I suggested that these two views of life couldn’t ‘continue to exist alongside each other for ever’, and suggested...

Published 20 Apr 2008 12:19 by Chemicals & The Economy

Filed under: USA, China, India, Economic growth, Oil markets, Japan, Financial Events, housing, Leverage, Asia, Wall Street Journal, auto sales, Sri Lanka, crude oil, Korea, rice, interest rates, Financial Times

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April 2008 - ICIS Blogs

Syndication

Recent Posts

Tags

Archives

Interesting analysis of credit crunch causes

Projects and protests

Periodic Table Tie

The search for more basic petrochemicals

History will surely repeat itself

Oklahoma to plant 1000 acres with switchgrass

INEOS’ Grangemouth plants on strike

Earth's wonders

Predrag back to Kolmar

‘Sometimes those questions lead to war’

OPEC suggests $200/bbl oil

Coal it off!

‘Longer, deeper, wider’

Germany in green spotlight

A tale of two outlooks – part 2