By John Richardson A VIEW often expressed is that if Joe Biden wins the US presidential election in November, relationships between the US and China will greatly improve. I believe, though, that the die has already been cast because of a bipartisan consensus in the US that the geopolitical rise of China needs to be […]
Chemical Connections
Short supply means high demand, right? Not always
Why the supply chain needs to sometimes look beyond simple supply-demand models to understand chemical markets Understanding why a particular chemical market is behaving in a certain way sometimes requires some sleuthing. For example, when you see headlines such as this on ICIS News, one naturally thinks they have found a market experiencing high demand […]
Iran and China new deal could hasten Belt & Road Initiative petrochemicals self-sufficiency
By John Richardson ONCE AGAIN, please don’t say I didn’t tell you. A proposed new investment and security agreement between Iran and China is the kind of closer relationship I had expected back in September 2016 when I wrote: China’s demand for oil is forecast to grow from 6m bbl/day today to 13m bbl/day by […]
Chemical Data acquisition streamlines global packaging benchmark solution
Amid these uncertain times, it’s easy for businesses to slam on the brakes on investment and focus on core operations in the hopes of riding out the economic storm. But companies rooted in strong foundations find ways to continue investing during such times, with a keen eye on growth now and accelerated growth post-crisis. That […]
Resilience of global polyethylene demand jeopardised by stimulus withdrawals
By John Richardson THE WORD on the street – what market participants have said about the polyethylene (PE) market – has portrayed a very consistent story since the pandemic began: Robust demand, despite what on paper is an enormous loss of incomes and wealth. One theory put forward to explain the resilience of demand is […]
Thoughts from the road on the road ahead
Just back from a road-trip holiday to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons where my family and I escaped the Texas heat and found a way to enjoy time away from work. We maintained our social distancing, eating takeout while on the long drive to Wyoming and Montana and doing most of our sightseeing via sparsely […]
ICIS: Mergers and Acquisitions, will H2 be the new dawn?
Given how slow H1 2020 has been from an M&A perspective, it is easy to welcome the $5bn INEOS/BP petrochemicals deal announced on 29 June as some sort of harbinger of a deal-ridden, pent-up demand driven summer. However, let us be clear about this – the INEOS/BP deal has nothing to do with today’s market, […]
Data drives home life changes for Americans amid pandemic
Apparently, right now is a good time to take a walk or drive around that new house you’ve bought. Well, maybe not you or I, but a lot of Americans seem to be doing that according to the data. CNBC compiled into a short post five charts that tell a fascinating story about our behaviours […]
Remote-working growth yields food for thought for supply chain
What opportunities and challenges does sustained growth in remote working present to FMCGs and retailers? With economies in the throes of various stages of reopening, debate has begun surrounding when businesses dominated by white-collar workers bring their employees back into an office setting. Even in states such as Texas where I am located, many companies […]
Narrow benzene spread displays level of downstream woes
What should purchasing managers of benzene derivatives look for when analysing its spread with crude oil? An argument can be made that no monomer chain has been thrust into the doldrums from the pandemic more than the benzene chain. Yes, there are pockets of demand for polycarbonate (PC) for use as a clear barrier and […]
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