Stop complaining – it’s actually colder inside! Source of picture: www.gulfnews.com By John Richardson As northern China shivers from the coldest temperatures in decades, one Western ex-pat based in the country vented his spleen on cultural impediments which cause huge energy wastage – and prevent everyone from keeping a little bit warmer. “My colleagues […]
Asian Chemical Connections
Thai Start-ups: What A Muddle
A real head scratcher…… Source of picture: www/http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com By John Richardson Confused? Sorry, but so far we cannot be of much help bringing any precision to what the implications of Thailand’s Supreme Court ruling will mean for the timing of petrochemical start-ups. If you remember, last Friday we wrote about how the Supreme Court […]
China PE To Grow By 35% – Latest ’09 Forecast
Money to be made, or saved, again?….. Source of picture: www.evworld.com After last week’s estimates, a big producer (who wishes to remain anonymous) has given us his forecasts for the strength of 2009 growth in demand for polyolefins in China – see full details in the article below. Interestingly, he saw the dip in […]
Thai project delays good news for markets, but…..
….what do these environmental issues mean for Thailand as an investment destination? The Map Ta Phut refinery-petrochemicals complex Source of picture: Pattaya News By Malini Hariharan (Malini is now joint blogger for Asian Chemical Connections) Here’s yet another unexpected project delay that could prop up markets in the fourth quarter. […]
Western Polymers: Get Out Or Get Cleverer?
MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION (SORRY, OUCH….!) Source of Picture: www.autospies.com The automobile industry in the West has been bought more time by economic stimulus, as this article in The Economist points out. But some of the discussions at the Frankfurt International Motor Show, which takes place on 15-27 September, will be about the future […]
Will Fiscal Rebalancing Trigger A Trade War?
Ron Kirk faces a tough balancing act Source of Picture: United States Mission – Geneva “The rebuilt American economy must be export-oriented and less consumption-oriented,” said Larry Summers, Director of the US President’s National Economic Council, earlier this month. But, as The Economist says in this article, this will be a little like turning a […]
Another Opinion: China and Recycling
Source of Picture: The Earth Institute at Columbia University I was speaking to a Singapore-based trader this morning over the reasons behind the polyolefin price rally. PPPEPrices2006-Aug09.ppt Here are his views: “A maor factor has been a lack of availability of recycled material. This is because people in the West are buying less durable consumer […]
It’s fun to be miserable….
LyondellBasell, Woody Allen, Dow Chemical, PIC, K-Dow, Kuwait, financial meltdown, carbon footprint,
The new frugal and greener consumer
Trendspotting, green conscience, eco-buying, recycling, environmental footprint, cost saving, greed-guilt
Will the US dinosaurs ever learn?
yet-more US dinosaurs, dinosoars, carbon capture and storage, Alberta tar sands, shale sands, renewable energy, wind power, solar power, second-generation biofuels
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