UNTIL or unless margins and spreads return to normal, there will have been no China recovery
Asian Chemical Connections
Global ethylene 12 months later: Nothing seems to have changed
What would it take to return global operating rates to the very healthy 1992-2023 average of 88%? Global capacity would have to grow by an average of around 2m tonnes a year versus our base case of 6.2m tonnes a year.
China’s demographic crisis: Implications for polymers demand
The light blue bars show the impact of a Dire Demographics scenario on China’s polymers demand
Global styrene markets reflect permanent changes in the chemicals landscape
DON’T just back and wait for markets to correct themselves
A murky future for China’s exports: Implications for chemicals
GEOPOLITICS, reshoring and sustainability combine to make the outlook for Chinese exports very cloudy
The US is winning in China in today’s HDPE world but what about tomorrow?
THE US is winning in the key China market because of feedstock advantages in a lower-price environment. But future trade flows will likely be shaped by geopolitics, demographics, debts and sustainability
Global HDPE, the value of facts over commentary and the importance of scenario planning
Global HDPE capacity would have to grow by just 173,000 tonnes a year versus our base case assumption of 2.6m tonnes a year to achieve a 2024-2030 operating rate of 88%.
Latest China PP data: The old Supercycle world retreats further into the past
The major PP exporters to China continue their sales turnover shrink on rising self-sufficiency weak pricing and poor demand growth
China events suggest no global petchems recovery until 2026
Capacity growth of just 1.6m tonnes a year versus our base case of 5m tonnes a year would require substantial capacity closures in some regions. Closures are never easy and so take considerable time because of links with upstream refineries, environmental clean-up and redundancy costs – and the reluctance to be the “first plant out” in case markets suddenly recover.
China’s petrochemicals capacity growth: A new normal of much greater uncertainty
UNDERSTANDING what was going to happen next with petrochemicals capacity additions in China used to be easy. Now we are in a world of muddle and ambiguity.