China’s economy, Canton Trade Fair, China unemployment, deflation threat, high inventories, China Daily
Asian Chemical Connections
The China Recovery Conundrum
eutsche Bank, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, China economy, China Q1 growth, China Q1
Some important new petchem trends
To keep you updated on what we believe is happening in petrochemicals, here are some important recent trends: *Futures markets in China are playing an increasingly important role in influencing pricing in polyolefins, methanol and PTA. Trading volume on the Dalian Commodity Exchange (watch out for Focus piece due out on ICIS today) for LLDPE […]
Asian petchems: A H2 Outlook
Bear Stearns, Dalian Commodity Exchange, bear-market rally, China speculation, ethane versus naphtha prices, International eChem
US petchem exports to lessen the pain?
General Motors, Dalian Commodity Exchange, China self-sufficiency, US-Asia exports
Lack of visibility makes planning a nightmare
Is it just me or is sentiment in chemicals markets even more erratic than usual? Only two weeks ago people were talking about an imminent supply glut in polypropylene, but now the talk is of tightness and stable prices. Perhaps those with more time on their hands have more time to talk. This lack of […]
Short-term gain could equal long-term pain
In the depths of the Asian financial crisis an American industry executive said, “I don’t know why Korea has a petrochemical industry. It should be just shut down.” There were also widespread complaints over “soft” government-directed loans that supported Asian companies through the difficult times of 1997-98. How the tables have turned, according to another […]
I don’t want to gloat but I told you so….
It looks like olefins and aromatics prices are on the retreat in Asia as I predicted earlier this month. I only feel slightly smug because it seems obvious that naphtha was a big driver – and that markets were being talked up by producers desperate to recover monumental Q4 losses. There will be lots more […]
How to make money in a downturn Part 1
John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale, antidumping petitions, trade protection, living in cloud cuckoo land
It’s tough at the top…….
It’s easy to take pot shots at the boss, and everyone of course feels they have been underpromoted and could do the job better themselves. Andrew Liveris is just the latest in a long line of CEOs to experience both envy – and at the moment perhaps a little pleasure at their failures. The gloating […]
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