John Richardson’s Asian Chemicals Connections looks at Asian and global commodity chemicals and polymer pricing trends, supply and demand, macroeconomics, energy and environmental issues.
Just to stress again that this blog represents my personal views and not those if ICIS. By John Richardson YOU WILL NEED to constantly debate the details of the megatrends as they will very often change entirely. And whilst today’s four megatrends – sustainability, the pandemic, demographics and geopolitics – will remain unchanged, their relative...
By John Richardson DIFFICULT choices lie ahead for exporters of polypropylene (PP), styrene monomer (SM) and paraxylene (PX) to China. From next year ...
ReadBy John Richardson CHINA’S polyethylene (PE) imports could be at either 19.8m tonnes in 2021 or 16.8m tonnes, as I discussed on Wednesday. The above...
ReadBy John Richardson IN SCENARIO 3 in the above chart, China would import 16.8m tonnes of polyethylene (PE) in 2021. This would be down by 13% from the ...
ReadBy John Richardson All the numbers that follow are my estimates only and are not the official ICIS numbers. But I hope what follows helps you with you...
ReadGuest blogger, Paul Hodges looks behind today's headlines and studies key influencers shaping the chemical industry over the next 12-18 months. He takes a closer look at oil prices, economic growth and the environment among other things, along with some light-hearted commentary along the way.
(Picture credit Shutterstock) A. Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty set out the rules for leaving the European Union. As with most negotiations, it assumed the leaving country would present its proposals for the post-withdrawal period – which would then be finalised with the other members. But the UK government has little experience of trade negotiations, as these...
Plastics producers have had a great run over the past 60 years, as demand took off for their products. But now globalisation is being replaced by sust...
ReadAnother 3 months, another decline in global smartphone sales. And more pressure on mid-market players like Samsung, as China’s low-cost producer...
ReadPlease join me for the next ACS Chemicals & Economy webinar on Thursday, at 2pm Eastern Standard Time, USA, when we will discuss: How US trade and...
ReadGroundhog Day 2, last week’s made-for-TV movie set in Pennsylvania, was the perfect lockdown choice. Every morning, one could check the vote tal...
ReadICIS energy editors post their expert opinions on the major topics facing participants in the European gas, electricity, LNG and oil markets. This blog will look behind the headlines and critically analyse the impact of market developments on the industry, with some more light-hearted posts thrown in for good humour.
Spot LNG prices continued to strengthen from mid-September to mid-October as the market takes an increasingly bullish turn on the back of unexpected p...
ReadSpot LNG prices strengthened from mid-August to mid-September on the back of ongoing repair work in Australia and after a hurricane swept through the ...
ReadSpot LNG prices for front-month cargoes started to climb from their previous rock-bottom levels during the four weeks from mid-July to mid-August. Hig...
ReadSo, once the Democrats conclude this week’s first ever virtual convention held by a US political party, we will finally be able stop calling Joe Bid...
ReadThe ICIS Chemical connections blog delves into the chemicals and commodities behind some of the world’s biggest companies. Daniel tracks and provides analysis on 167 companies in the oil and gas, commodities, chemicals, speciality chemicals, plastics, packaging and fertilizers markets and Jeremy analyses macro and micro trends affecting the North American chemicals industry, from olefins, aromatics and solvents to general-purpose and engineered plastics.
A lot can change in 30 days. Thirty days ago, US President Donald Trump felt confident he was on his way to a second term, while election opponent Joseph Biden felt he was on the way to his first term on the back of a host of polling data showing him possibly leading a “blue...
Finding common ground for US Republicans and Democrats is as difficult as ever during these hyper-partisan times, but if there has been one subject th...
ReadThis is the first of a series of blog posts where I will examine the environmental paradigm shift and what it means for the petrochemicals industry. T...
ReadThis year continues to be a “slog,” a word when said aloud just reeks of 2020. I guess that would be onomatopoeia for those you who remember your ...
ReadLast week, the blog took a look at how government policies could shape a market such as that for linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE). The scenario...
Read