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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 expected in November. Observers forecast the September...

Posted to ICIS Blogs (Weblog) by Anonymous on 11-30-2008
Rolls Royce prices start to slide

BMW, the world's largest luxury car manufacturer and owner of Rolls Royce motors, today abandoned its August forecast of record auto sales and a 4% operating margin for 2008. CEO, Norbert Reithofer, was in downbeat mood, saying that "the financial crisis is by no means behind us yet, particularly...

Posted to ICIS Blogs (Weblog) by Anonymous on 11-04-2008
Budgeting for survival

The blog prefers to be optimistic. But 30 years in the chemical industry has taught it to be extremely realistic. So it proposes 'batten down the hatches' is its motto for 2009. Chemical companies are likely to be sailing in some very rough seas, with treacherous currents and plenty of dangerous...

Posted to ICIS Blogs (Weblog) by Anonymous on 10-19-2008
Auto markets face 'outright collapse' in 2009

Collapsing housing markets are creating major problems for chemical companies worldwide. Now JD Power , the leading auto industry research firm, is warning that 'the global auto market in 2009 may experience an outright collapse.' They add that 'while mature markets are being impacted more...

Posted to ICIS Blogs (Weblog) by Anonymous on 10-09-2008
'Demand and prices in free fall'

The moment the blog has long feared, and warned about , may be about to arrive. It appears that we may be about to revisit 1980, when for some weeks it seemed that demand for many petchem products had simply stopped. As Nigel Davis notes in an excellent ICIS insight article , we are not there yet. But...

Posted to ICIS Blogs (Weblog) by Anonymous on 10-07-2008
August highlights

Many readers have been out of the office during August on a well-deserved break. I am therefore highlighting below the main postings over the past month, in the hope this will help them to catch up quickly on key developments - please click on the highlighted title if you want to read the original posting...

Posted to ICIS Blogs (Weblog) by Anonymous on 09-01-2008
The blog's first birthday

Its now a year since the blog started. Since then, 213 postings have appeared. It is now read in 72 countries and 620 cities (shown above). Most encouragingly, readership continues to steadily increase. Since January, it has risen a further 301%. The blog's aim is to identify 'the influences...

Posted to ICIS Blogs (Weblog) by Anonymous on 07-05-2008
US auto sales collapse in June

'Collapse' is not a word that should be used lightly in business. But there is no other way to describe June's US auto sales figures: GM reported June sales down 15% Toyota were down 12% Ford were down 28% Chrysler were down 36% These declines came in spite of the fact that 130 million households...

Posted to ICIS Blogs (Weblog) by Anonymous on 07-03-2008
Father Christmas didn't visit last month

Yesterday's action in financial markets reminded me of the Bird/Fortune video (noted here in December), where they took a satirical look at the causes of the sub-prime debacle. Specifically, the question in the interview where Fortune describes Bird as a 'sophisticated investment banker, with...

Posted to ICIS Blogs (Weblog) by Anonymous on 06-04-2008
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 that whatever scenario came out on top would...

Posted to ICIS Blogs (Weblog) by Anonymous on 04-20-2008

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