By Malini Hariharan There is a lot of free price information and advice available to Indian polymer buyers via emails and SMSs. The gist of the messages these days is that the Chinese market is weak, international and domestic prices will fall and buying should be in limited volumes. An email that landed in the […]
Asian Chemical Connections
Pressure builds up as manufacturing growth slows
By Malini Hariharan Government measures across Asia to ease inflationary pressure are finally yielding results. The latest economic indicators from China and India confirm a loss in manufacturing growth momentum which is likely to put further pressure on troubled polyolefin markets. In China, the official Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), from the China Federation of Logistics, […]
PTA – one more view
By Malini Hariharan One view on the purified terephthalic acid (PTA) market, highlighted by the blog last week, is that operating rates in the next few years will be constrained by a shortage of feedstock of paraxylene (PX). A rapid buildup in PTA capacity is taking place in China where new plants with a total […]
Metallocene action from Chinaplas
By Malini Hariharan The fight for the metallocene market is heating up with South Korean producers increasingly looking at getting a share of this attractive market. SK Corp confirmed plans to build a new metallocene linear-low density polyethylene (MLLDPE) plant outside Asia once a new plant in South Korea starts operations, writes the blog’s colleague […]
China Power Woes Hit Chem Output
By Malini Hariharan and John Richardson The power crisis in China, highlighted in this post last month and yesterday, has worsened and is likely to affect economic output in the second quarter. More than 10 provinces, including Zhejiang, Hunan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei, Sichuan and Henan, have been affected. Small and medium-sized petrochemical producers in the […]
Tough times start for India polyolefins
By Malini Hariharan Tension is building up in the Indian polyolefin market with buying activity slowing down in recent weeks. “The market is really dull; trading activity is very flat and end-users are taking minimum quantities. We are worried that the situation will worsen if we offer more discounts,” says a concerned producer. The slow […]
SBR under pressure on China slowdown
By Malini Hariharan Styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) prices, which have nearly doubled over the last year, may be heading for a much needed correction. The strength in feedstock butadiene markets and strong demand from the automotive sector have so far helped support the high numbers. But a key concern is that China’s tightened monetary policy […]
Power shortages strike China
By Malini Hariharan The problems for Chinese manufacturers are multiplying. Besides having to worry about rising input costs, inflationary pressures and tightening of credit, companies now have to contend with unexpected power cuts. This is usually the low season for power consumption in the country but supply to industrial units is being rationed in some […]
Global manufacturing set to drift
By Malini Hariharan China’s status as factory for the world is under threat as rising costs of operating are startingto bite. Estimates of wage cost hike this year range from 10% to 20%. And if higher prices of raw material such as cotton and plastics plus the appreciation of the yuan are factoried in, then […]
China outlines shale gas ambitions
By Malini Hariharan With all the buzz around shale gas in the US the blog is not surprised to read that China is also turning to this unconventional source of gas. The country is looking to start shale gas production within the next five years, said a senior government official. It has drilled more than […]
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