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.
By John Richardson LET’S start with some good news: Vietnamese polyethylene (PE) demand looks set to grow by 16% in 2019 over last year compared with our base-case assumption of 8%. This would deliver 131m tonnes of demand more than we have forecast (see the above chart on the left). Note that the same surely...
By John Richardson AS PETROCHEMICALS and other manufacturers scramble to relocate their businesses away from China in order to compensate for the trad...
ReadBy John Richardson DON’T SAY I didn’t tell you. An important new IMF study confirms what I’ve been arguing for a long time: China has overtaken ...
ReadBy John Richardson DON’T WORRY, I am told, India is on the way. As China undergoes major structural changes which guarantee much lower petrochemical...
ReadBy John Richardson CHINA’S POLYETHYLENE (PE) market continues to display signs of chronic indigestion. Significant overstocking persists with Northe...
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.
Smartphone sales plateaued in Q3, down 9% since Q3 2017’s peak of 1.55bn, as the chart shows. But the bigger threat from smart feature phones – now retailing for as little as $11 – continues to grow as Reliance and Vodacom launch new models in India and Africa. Smartphone sales are also seeing important shifts...
Pity the poor UK voters as they prepare to vote in probably the most critical election of their lives. As they battle the wind and rain to vote in the...
ReadIt is now 8 years since John Richardson and I published our 10-year forecast for 2021 in Boom, Gloom and the New Normal: How the Western BabyBoomers a...
ReadMY ANNUAL BUDGET OUTLOOK WILL BE PUBLISHED NEXT WEEK Next week, I will publish my annual Budget Outlook, covering the 2020-2022 period. The aim, as al...
ReadNearly a third of the the world’s High Income population are now in the Perennials 55+ generation. Yet companies mostly ignore their needs ̵...
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.
The 5.0 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) US Freeport LNG train one was getting ready to load its first cargo in August, adding the prospect of further ...
ReadSpot LNG prices held below $5.00/MMBtu in the four weeks from mid-June to mid-July on the back of continued strong supply in the global market. Howeve...
ReadThis article was written by Harriet Roberts. It discusses the findings of the ICIS European Energy Mid-Year Outlook 2019 European energy prices weak o...
ReadSpot LNG prices remained low around the world in mid-June, prompting continued speculation over whether US producers might cut back output later this ...
ReadICIS editors and consultants give their views on the big questions raised by market events and developments. By analysing market conditions, supply and demand, and other factors influencing future profitability, they set today’s markets into context and provide an outlook for 2016 and beyond.
Taking look at the latest EIA data (published 4/28/2017) with a little ICIS analytics thrown in: The amount of ethane recovered in February was up 20%...
ReadOne of the most disheartening parts of being in the price forecasting business, particularly in the energy price forecasting business, is that, despit...
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