Financial markets are becoming more and more chaotic, with prices regularly moving by 1% per cent or more in a day. Prices have also started to suffer sharp reverses of direction within a day, as talk of new stimulus competes with the reality of mounting supply gluts. These developments are classic red flags, warning of […]
Chemicals and the Economy
China’s lending bubble is being deflated
The changes underway in China’s lending policies are far more significant that anything being planned by central banks in Tokyo, Frankfurt or Washington as I describe in my latest post for the Financial Times, published on the BeyondBrics blog Investors’ attention remains focused on the minutiae of central bank policies in the developed world. But they might spare a […]
China’s polyethylene market creates Winners and Losers
Tens of billions of dollars have been spent over the past 6 years to produce the above chart. And thousands of people have argued and debated around the world about what will happen to China’s polyethylene (PE) market. It has been a key focus of attention for everyone in the petchem and polymer industry since […]
Common sense continues to elude central banks as they battle demographic cliff
Central banks are in a losing battle, as they try to reverse the inevitable slowdown created by the arrival of the demographic cliff. Last year’s 5% fall in global GDP in current dollars tells its own story. Common sense would tell them they can’t possibly win. After all, how do you persuade New Olders in […]
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