By John Richardson WE COULD now be in a destocking phase in petrochemicals markets as oil prices are falling on a surge in US production. This would obviously mean lower petrochemicals pricing, leaving companies that have overbuilt raw material inventories with substantial financial losses. I hope that most companies have been prudent. In January, the […]
Asian Chemical Connections
China After The Lunar New Year: Your Five-Point Guide
By John Richardson HERE is a five-point guide to what will happen in China after the Lunar New Year is over (most of China will be only holiday from 18-24 February): The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) now seems almost certain to further reduce interest rates and the bank reserve requirement (RRR). If you recall […]
Take Stock And Plan For the Post-New Year China
By John Richardson NOBODY involved in the Asian chemicals industry is likely to have been surprised by Saturday’s announcement that January’s official purchasing managers’ index (PMI) slipped into negative territory for the first time in more than two years. The reason is that many people involved in the business have seen disappointing sales volumes in […]
China Targets Trade Finance
By John Richardson AT the high inflation point of any financial bubble, you tend to get outlandishly dangerous and dodgy practices designed to make even more money because most people think that “this time will be different” – i.e. that the drunken party will go on forever. The US sub-prime disaster is, of course, a […]
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