November 2008 - ICIS Blogs

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Japan's industrial output collapses as exports dive

Japan has an ageing population. Since 1990, it has relied on exports to boost its economy. Yesterday , official figures showed industrial production is now being badly affected by the global recession. Output fell 3.1% in October, and a 6.4% decline is...

Published 30 Nov 2008 12:13 by Chemicals & The Economy

Filed under: Economic growth, Oil markets, Currencies, Japan, Financial Events, recession, auto sales, Kaoru Yosano
Hope for recovery, plan for downturn

Surprisingly, our 7th European conference this week in Cologne (co-organised with ICIS), was one of our most successful. Delegate numbers were down, as companies cut travel budgets. But those attending said they had gained much more, than if they had...

Published 30 Nov 2008 11:19 by Chemicals & The Economy

Filed under: Economic growth, Oil markets, Financial Events, credit crunch, Futures trading, M & A, Leverage, recession, Pension funds, Feedstocks for Profit
Financial Times recognises the blog

The Queen of England recently asked "Why did nobody see the financial crisis coming?" The Financial Times took the view that " Some did, Ma'am. Some did ." It then initiated a search for these people. Today's Financial Times...

Published 29 Nov 2008 10:39 by Chemicals & The Economy

Filed under: Economic growth, Oil markets, Financial Events, credit crunch, M & A, Leverage, recession, Queen Elizabeth II
Return of the Triffids

Oil producing plants ravage the earth, killing humans with a lethal whipping sting. I re-read "Day of the Triffids" quite recently and it is a good book - easy to read, and fast-paced. I don't think I saw the 1962 movie, but the 1981 Australian...

Published 28 Nov 2008 13:37 by ICIS Chemicals Confidential

Filed under: BBC, movies, Day of the Triffids, Children of Men
Mumbai: eyewitness Mark Abell's rescue from Oberoi

I heard this most moving interview with eyewitness Mark Abell just rescued from Mumbai's Oberoi Trident hotel, on BBC Radio 4's "Today" programme at 8.15 am this morning. The link is to a 10-minute clip: fast forward to Mr Abell at 06...

Published 28 Nov 2008 9:00 by ICIS Chemicals Confidential

Filed under: business travel, Mumbai, corporate life, BBC Radio 4, Oberoi Trident, Mark Abell
Aromatics Day Two

Everyone's homeward bound from Cologne after the two-day Aromatics Conference , and it sounds like it went well. It started with doom and gloom about the recession, and then delegates heard the breaking news overnight and this morning about the terrible...

Published 27 Nov 2008 16:28 by ICIS Chemicals Confidential

Filed under: chemicals, business travel, conferences, aromatics, Ineos, aromatics conference, Cologne, Tricon
Mumbai terror dents confidence

The deplorable terror attacks at Mumbai threaten to further shake business confidence in India at a time when companies across industrial sectors are struggling to cope with severe erosion in demand and profitability and the economy is straining to overcome...

Published 27 Nov 2008 14:15 by India Chemicals Blog

Filed under: Companies, Government Policy, economy, Mumbai, terrorist attacks
Ethanol wants to cosy up to Detroit

Large sections of the US ethanol business have been writing to the US car makers asking them to support higher volume blends of ethanol in future and tying that message to an innovate or die warning... It could be a good idea...there does need to be more...

Published 27 Nov 2008 13:25 by The Big Biofuels Blog

Filed under: America, USA, US, ethanol, biofuels, automotive, car, Bioethanol, Detroit, makers
Taking the long view

There's a piece about algae-based biofuel firm Sapphire Energy on Xeconomy, it's talking about the way that plunging oil prices require alternative fuel start-ups to take a long view. I guess that more realistic valuations of biofuel companies...

Published 26 Nov 2008 16:30 by The Big Biofuels Blog

Filed under: biofuels, Companies, energy, algae, Sapphire, Xeconomy
New Generation Biofuels offers stock, gains trials

New Generation Biofuels is offering stock for sale through its prospectus. New Generation uses a proprietary technology exclusively licensed in the US from Ferninando Petrucci, who owns around 5.4% of the firm. The financial engineering behind the relationship...

Published 26 Nov 2008 14:07 by The Big Biofuels Blog

Filed under: New, biofuels, generation, emulsion, Ferdinando, H2Diesel, EDGAR, Petrucci
Aromatics Conference 2009 - I'm virtually there

There's only one thing worse than going to an ICIS Aromatics Conference . And that's NOT going to an ICIS Aromatics Conference. I'm already bored with not going to things. So from next week, I'm going to be out and about at anything I...

Published 26 Nov 2008 13:55 by ICIS Chemicals Confidential

Filed under: chemicals, conferences, aromatics, ICIS, price reporting, aromatics conference, ICIS Training, Cologne
Verasun tries to exit corn purchase contracts

Verasun which has filed for bankruptcy protection has asked the courts to terminate a number of its corn contracts, says ICIS news. (Disclosure: I work for ICIS. About ICIS) While the move would help Verasun get back on its feet, if the court agrees,...

Published 26 Nov 2008 11:55 by The Big Biofuels Blog

Filed under: USA, US, ethanol, Corn, Companies, bankruptcy, farm, Verasun, American
Aramco for Vizag?

Saudi Aramco is now being talked about as a prospective investor in the Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL) led refinery and petrochemical complex at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. Talks are on to bring in Aramco, says HPCL's chairman in this report...

Published 26 Nov 2008 7:54 by India Chemicals Blog

Filed under: Companies, Refining, Petrochemicals, GAIL, refinery, Vishakhapatnam, TOTAL, Saudi Aramco, HPCL
"An economic crisis of historic proportions"

President-elect Obama has become the latest world leader to "get it", as his wife Michelle once remarked. For far long, politicians seemed to believe their platitudes about the "underlying strength" of their national economies. This...

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

Filed under: Economic growth, Oil markets, Financial Events, M & A, Leverage, recession, President Obama
World Bank warns on China growth

The World Bank has cut its growth forecast for China's GDP to just 7.5% next year. Only 3 months ago, it was expecting 9.2%. And the Bank warns that the economy is dependent on "higher public spending" for more than half its forecast growth...

Published 25 Nov 2008 11:10 by Chemicals & The Economy

Filed under: China, Economic growth, Oil markets, Financial Events, M & A, Leverage, recession, World Bank, BRIC

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November 2008 - ICIS Blogs

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Recent Posts

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Archives

Japan's industrial output collapses as exports dive

Hope for recovery, plan for downturn

Financial Times recognises the blog

Return of the Triffids

Mumbai: eyewitness Mark Abell's rescue from Oberoi

Aromatics Day Two

Mumbai terror dents confidence

Ethanol wants to cosy up to Detroit

Taking the long view

New Generation Biofuels offers stock, gains trials

Aromatics Conference 2009 - I'm virtually there

Verasun tries to exit corn purchase contracts

Aramco for Vizag?

"An economic crisis of historic proportions"

World Bank warns on China growth