Crude up more than $1/bbl, Asia petchem shares higher after Biden wins US presidency
Nurluqman Suratman
09-Nov-2020
SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Crude oil prices rose more than $1/bbl and Asian petrochemical shares strengthened on Monday after Joe Biden won the US presidential elections, with investors shrugging off worries about the worsening coronavirus pandemic which has crossed the 50m mark globally.
By 03:10 GMT, Brent crude futures for January was up by $1.06/bbl while US WTI crude rose by $1.05/bbl.
| $/bbl | Last price | % Change | Price change | Previous closeClose | Session high | Session low |
| Brent Crude Jan | 40.51 | 2.69% | 1.06 | 39.45 | 40.7 | 39.46 |
| WTI Light Crude Dec | 38.19 | 2.83% | 1.05 | 37.14 | 38.38 | 37.16 |
| Company/Stock Exchange | % Change |
| Nikkei 225 (Tokyo) | 1.95% |
| Asahi Kasei Corp | 2.97% |
| JXTG Holdings, Inc | -0.30% |
| Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp | 0.33% |
| Mitsui Chemicals, Inc | 1.15% |
| Hang Seng Index (Hong Kong) | 1.42% |
| China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) | 0.94% |
| PetroChina | 0.00% |
| KOSPI Composite Index (Seoul) | 0.53% |
| OCI Company | 4.92% |
| SK Innovation | 9.89% |
| LG Chem | 1.67% |
| Lotte Chemical Corp | 10.40% |
| Hanwha Corp | 2.16% |
| TSEC weighted index (Taipei) | 0.69% |
| Formosa Petrochemical Corp | 0.25% |
| Nan Ya Plastics Corp | -0.16% |
| Formosa Chemicals & Fibre Corp | 0.42% |
| STI Index (Singapore) | 1.21% |
| Wilmar International | 1.62% |
| Olam International | 1.52% |
| FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (Kuala Lumpur) | 0.15% |
| SSE Composite Index (Shanghai) | 1.57% |
| Jakarta Composite Index | -0.14% |
| PT. Chandra Asri Petrochemical Tbk | 1.23% |
Investor sentiment was also supported by fresh data from China Customs over the weekend which showed that exports grew by 11.4% year on year in US dollar terms in October, accelerating from the 9.9% expansion in September.
China’s exports to the US rose 22.5% year on year in October, its highest reading since June 2012, as the worsening coronavirus situation in the US weighed on its local manufacturing production.
China’s imports from the US jumped to 33.4% year on year in October from 24.7% in September, “pointing to Beijing’s continued effort to fulfill its commitments on the Phase One trade deal with the US”, Japan-based Nomura Global Markets Research said in a note.
China’s trade surplus with the US widened slightly to $31.4bn in October from $30.8bn in September.
The American Chemistry Council (ACC) in a statement following news of Biden’s victory urged the US President-elect and his administration to chart a different path for US trade policy.
“Robust trade in raw materials and finished products helps fuel the growth of our sector here at home – but current costly tariff policy continues to cut into our industry’s competitive advantage,” the ACC said.
The ACC noted that the US chemical industry remains a key player on the front lines of the fight against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic by helping to make medical supplies and equipment, including protective gear like masks and face shields, as well as cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting solutions.
Coronavirus pandemic to continues weighing on markets
With the US elections now over, investors are refocusing on the worsening coronavirus pandemic, with global cases now topping 50m, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University on Monday.
The US recorded more than 100,762 new infections and 453 new deaths early on Monday, marking the fifth highest day of new cases in the country since the pandemic began, according to the data.
The total number of coronavises cases in the US is now at over 9.9m.
Visit the ICIS Coronavirus topic page for analysis of the impact on chemical markets and links to latest news.
Focus article by Nurluqman Suratman
.(Photo by Andrew Harnik/AP/Shutterstock)
Global News + ICIS Chemical Business (ICB)
See the full picture, with unlimited access to ICIS chemicals news across all markets and regions, plus ICB, the industry-leading magazine for the chemicals industry.
Contact us
Partnering with ICIS unlocks a vision of a future you can trust and achieve. We leverage our unrivalled network of industry experts to deliver a comprehensive market view based on independent and reliable data, insight and analytics.
Contact us to learn how we can support you as you transact today and plan for tomorrow.
READ MORE
