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 CHINA’S influence on the world economy has grown to such an extent over the last decade that is now a bigger driver of growth than the US and the EU combined, says Eurizon SLJ Asset Management. The US impact on global GDP shrunk from just over 40% in 1989-1998 to half that...
By John Richardson WHAT if the number of new vehicle sales in China reached a long term peak of 28.9m in 2017? What if the declines in sales that we s...
ReadGuest blogger today is again Ajay Parmar in the second his posts. He is a chemical engineering professional with 5 years of industrial experience in o...
ReadBy John Richardson ONLY YESTERDAY just about everyone I spoke to in the polyethylene (PE) industry believed that th...
ReadBy John Richardson LET’S START with the good news first. ICIS Data and Analytics had expected China’s demand for paraxylene (PX) to grow by in...
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.
The Financial Times has kindly printed my letter below, arguing that it seems the default answer to almost any economic question has now become “more stimulus” from the central bank. After 15 years of subprime lending and then quantitative easing, last week’s warning from the Bank of England suggests there are fewer and fewer economic...
“Once upon a time, Granny and Grandad used to go to a large shop on the motorway to buy their furniture. They used to stagger around carrying Bi...
ReadLast November, I wrote one of my “most-read posts”, titled Global smartphone recession confirms consumer downturn. The only strange thin...
ReadWomen in most parts of the world are not having enough children to replace our population. This is one of the great issues of our time, but is hardly ...
Read“That couldn’t happen” are probably the 3 most dangerous words in the English language. They mean “I don’t want to think...
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 UK had indicated in 2015 that the generation tariff under the FiT scheme would end in March 2019 but Thursday’s announcement means the export ta...
ReadAs the bill to cut production from the Netherlands’ giant Groningen field makes its way through the Dutch halls of power, the challenges of implemen...
ReadTime is running out for energy companies that have to work out if they will be included or exempted by upcoming financial rules that will make some of...
Read“Alternative energy”. Is that still a common phrase? In some quarters, it is. In a recent New York Times Trump-themed article, the phrase was in t...
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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