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Asian Chemical Connections

Growing Uncertainties Cloud Chemicals Outlook

By John Richardson THE global growth outlook grows ever murkier as a result of credit tightening in China (or is the problem instead continued strong growth in lending?), inflation problems throughout Asia, possible monetary tightening in the West, the direction of oil prices and the Japanese tsunami-earthquake. We feel that this is making the rest […]

China PE Re-exported To Europe

By John Richardson CHINA’S polyethylene (PE) market is in such a bad state that re-exports are now being considered to Europe. The wide disparity between a flat China market and strong pricing in European has created this exceptionally rare arbitrage opportunity, which, according to an industry observer “has happened before, many moons ago, but not […]

Japan Disaster – Update On Lost Production

By John Richardson and Nigel Davis THE humanitarian side of this disaster is foremost in everyone’s minds with more than 18,000 people now estimated to have died in the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Of equal concern is the crisis at the country’s stricken nuclear power plants which the International Atomic Agency describes as “very serious”. […]

European Petchems & Future Competitiveness

By John Richardson Dear Reader We hope and pray that the nuclear crisis in Japan will be resolved and that the rebuilding process following the earthquake and tsunami can be begin. My colleagues at ICIS news are doing a comprehensive job in covering the disaster in terms of how it is affecting the petrochemicals industry […]

Japan Disaster – Lost Production Update

By Nigel Davis For some, life goes on. For others, everything is lost. An email to the BBC on Tuesday from a resident in Mie, Japan, 350 miles from the stricken nuclear power plants on the east coast of the country, described a relatively normal day. Utilities are available but people are feeling nervous and […]

Japan Disaster 2 – Refining, Petchems Update

By John Richardson OUR sympathies again go to the people of Japan. The main focus should be on providing as much support as possible to the rescue efforts and let’s hope that petrochemical companies globally step forward. But as we said yesterday, life goes on. The Japanese stock market was down around 5% this morning in early trading, […]

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