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 WHEN I WAS a boy in 1970s Britain, a new pair of shoes was an expensive proposition and so I had to make them last. Durable goods in general were costly relative to incomes, so many people rented televisions and had to save long and hard to buy new sofas. But then...
By John Richardson IRAN and China earlier this month signed a wide-ranging economic and security agreement that has been under negotiation for five ye...
ReadBy John Richardson China’s high-density polyethylene (HDPE) imports in 2021 look as if they might collapse versus last year, according to the early ...
ReadBy John Richardson CHINA’S apparent demand for polyethylene, polypropylene (PP), styrene monomer (SM) and paraxylene fell during the first two mon...
ReadBy John Richardson WE MUST develop very nuanced, broad ranging and constantly updated scenarios about what could happen in China over the next 20 year...
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.
Chart 1: Increased life expectancy led to a dramatic increase in GDP/capita The pandemic has reminded us of the critical role played by vaccination in our lives. But few realise the enormous impact made just 200 years ago by Dr Jenner’s discovery of smallpox vaccination. It literally changed the world. And today, we have a new...
One of the good things to happen in the pandemic over the past year is that ‘cooking has become the new commute’ for many people. Working ...
ReadThe Great Freeze in Texas has confirmed once again the problems with today’s global supply chains. As the New York Times has highlighted: “T...
ReadEvery now and then, people wake up to the fact that debt is only good news when it adds to growth. Otherwise, it simply destroys value. China is usual...
ReadEveryone who has ever played the Beer Distribution Game on a training course knows what is happening in supply chains today. A small increase in under...
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 in east Asia have rocketed higher during January, with trades seen over $30/MMBtu. That compares with levels around $11/MMBtu in late ...
ReadLNG traders are questioning how long a surge in Asian spot prices can last, after dramatic price increases caused by unexpected outages, strengthened ...
ReadSpot LNG Prices strengthened in the second half of October on ongoing outages, before softening in the first half of November on increased production....
ReadSpot 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...
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.
Get ready to open your wallets a bit more. Whether you are in the chemical business, the services industry or the business of feeding people, the cost of business continues to rise. As those costs rise, so too are the number of questions surrounding the emergence of inflation into economies hoping to emerge from the...
Reinvestment in infrastructure has finally made it to centre stage of US political discussions, but prepare to be underwhelmed by what ultimately resu...
ReadMid-February’s prolonged freeze on the Texas-Louisiana coast has juiced up market commentary as much as it has most petrochemical and polymer pricin...
ReadWith news bubbling up about coronavirus variants, here is a variant message of my own: Look past the recent coronavirus headlines and you will find so...
ReadThe Democrat Party sweep of the Georgia runoff senatorial elections this week means President-elect Joseph Biden will take office on 20 January with h...
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