This very interesting note from Jun Ma, chief economist for Greater China at Deutsche Bank (see the end of this post) offers evidence to support what this blog has been worried about for some time – the quality of China’s economic rebound. The government would presumably be less concerned about the sharp increase in loan […]
Asian Chemical Connections
US-Asia Propylene arbitrage closes
arbitrage, US-Asia exports, financial meltdown, piracy, Somalia, ICIS news
Is it better to be right for not quite……
……all the right reasons than to be wrong altogether? Sounds a dumb question, perhaps – unless you take particular pride in being one of those know-it-alls. The point I am trying to make (and assuming that chemicals pricing doesn’t collapse beforehand on a broader retreat in crude and equites on maybe panic over swine flu […]
It’s getting darker and darker out there
China’s economy, Canton Trade Fair, China unemployment, deflation threat, high inventories, China Daily
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 […]
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