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Asian Chemical Connections

China: The Hammer Falls On BOPP

By John Richardson Biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) films capacity in China has risen to three times the country’s annual demand,  said a source with a global polyolefins producer. Watch this space for the actual data as this is still work in progress. But suffice to say here, the initial numbers we have been given would […]

China MEG: Understanding A Doubling Of Inventories

By John Richardson THE chart above shows how mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) coastal inventory levels in China have more than doubled since 2010. One explanation might be that the substantial increase in MEG demand since 2010 means that inventories, as a proportion of this total demand, haven’t increased that dramatically. Real consumption of all the three […]

Demographics And “The Internet Of Things”

A DECADE from now, you might wake up in the morning and: Step on scales that quickly shoot data to a service provider that helps you decide how long and hard to exercise on the treadmill that day. Brush your teeth with a toothbrush that sends data to a local dentist. This will give early […]

The Philippines: What A Fantastic Opportunity

By John Richardson The Philippines is in a demographic sweet spot, according to the CIA factbook. In 2013, for instance, 34% of the population was aged between 0-14 and 19.1 was aged between 15-24. This is potentially fantastic news if the Philippines can do something about its dreadful infrastructure. As the New York Times points out in […]

China Polyester: Failure To Ask The Right Questions

By John Richardson HERE is a historical account of what has gone wrong with China’s polyester industry: Apparel and non-apparel manufacturers were first encouraged to back-integrate to polyester fibres production and then to purified terephthalic (PTA) as the central government sought to develop the economy through import substitution. This might have been fine without decision […]

The Failure Of Abenomics Should Be No Surprise

By John Richardson The steepest  decline in Japanese industrial production since March 2011 has shocked some commentators. We cannot understand why. “Industrial output dropped 3.3% in June from May, the trade ministry said today in Tokyo, more than twice the median forecast for a 1.2% contraction in a Bloomberg News survey of 31 economists. The […]

China: Value For Money Replaces Luxury

By John Richardson IF you answer a knock on the door and a travelling salesman is offering you a deal that seems as if it is good to be true  – e.g. a top-of-the-range flat screen TV for just $100 – what is your first reaction? Your first reaction would, of course be: “This must […]

What A “Low Growth World” Really Looks Like

By John Richardson ONLY six new  US crackers would be built over the next five years because of rising construction and labour costs, said Dow Chemical’s CEO, Andrew Liveris, in an earnings conference call last week. This would be out of the 12 crackers that have been announced (see the above table). Demand would therefore […]

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