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China has started in its quest to change its approaches to power generation, transportation, and consumption by tapping alternative sources such as oil shale, solar energy, and wind. Much of China's energy supply has been dependent on coal and imported oil. How China's move opened opportunities for chemical and materials firms from all over the world is discussed.

The chemical industry is expected to see improvements in free cash flow and credit quality in 2010, but related construction is expected to continue to struggle. Chemical industry forecasts on the inorganics, fine chemicals and specialty chemicals market, crop protection, pharmaceuticals, and laboratory instrumentation are discussed.

The effect of a weak dollar and a strong Euro on the export performance of the chemical industry is presented.

The production of organic and inorganic chemicals and growth of global chemical industries is put forth.

A growing demand for petrochemical products despite a rise in prices due to a rise in the cost of raw materials allowed chemical companies to maintain their performance in 2007. Due to the mentioned factors chemical companies in the U.S. or Europe recorded no significant rise in profits.

Chemical companies in the U.S. have showed improved performance in the fourth quarter of 2007 despite the economic recession and other relevant factors.

The views advocated by attendees at the Informex USA 2008 on the economic trend in 2008 for chemical and pharmaceutical companies are presented.

Chemical companies plan allocation of substantial funds for expansion of infrastructure and acquisition of equipment in 2008. Though, a comparatively less amount has been earmarked for research and development.

The rapid strides that have taken place in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry in Hungary following the breakdown of socialism is presented. The prospects of the European Union joining the chemical and drug industries are discussed.

No major changes are forecasted for the growth of the chemical industry in the U.S. in 2008.

Studies conducted by the experts and consultants from around the world predicted bright future for the European chemical industry which would remain a global leader.

Sales and earning for U.S. chemical industry increased in second-quarter 2007 compared to the first quarter.

The last financial year showed a tremendous growth in the production of the European countries, as compared to other major chemical-producing countries. Netherlands and Spain were found to show the maximum growth among the seven major European chemical producing companies, which was then followed by German, Belgium and Italy.

The major chemical companies across the world, except for the U.S. showed a rise in the employment figures and the number of jobs in the year 2006. Various acquisitions like that of the construction business helped in raising the total employment in certain cases, which then led to drop in the labor costs due to the increased productivity.

The performance of the chemical industries in the Asia-Pacific region in the year 2006 is assessed. The predictions for the year 2007 are a mix of euphoria of achieving positive results and concerns over harsh economic changes with China and India being the most optimistic industries and Japanese the most pessimistic.

Fine chemicals industry in Europe and the US are facing stiff competition from Asian companies. However, despite stiff competition, change of assets and declining number of players, the fine chemicals industry has survived and outsourcing by pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies has given the industry a new lease of life.

A new organization established by the British government, Chemistry Innovation Knowledge Transfer Network aims to improve innovation performance in the country's chemistry-using industry by using cutting edge technology and research. This would boost the competitiveness of UK's chemistry using industries in the global market and would help in development of new technologies and products.

The future of custom chemicals business is shaped not only by the traditional powers in the West but also by emerging companies in the East. European. The US fine chemicals producers are fighting to get a foothold in Asia by putting assets there or tapping into low-cost supplies, while in the meantime, Indian producers of advanced intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) have created global stances by acquiring foreign operations.

Chemical firms are planning to boost their capital in investments in 2006, but only with a modest increase in the research and development (R&D) spending. The chemical makers plan to increase capital budgets by 17.0% in 2006 compared to 2005, to a total of $8.7 billion, whereas their R&D spending plans closely parallel the 4.8% increase of 2005.

Prices of chemical products during 2005 increased due to the increase in the cost of oil, natural gas, and electricity used as fuel and feedstock, therefore demand for chemicals in the first 10 months of the year increased upto $457.3 billion. The problem is that the US chemical industry has entered 2006 with many of the same concerns as it had at the beginning of 2005.

A broad-brushstroke, impressionistic take on the chemical enterprise in China is provided. A few issues that are bound to make an impact on china's development over several years are discussed.

Chemical firms are taking into account investments in capacity and equipment as a boost to research budgets and also to prepare for future growth. It is reported that though chemical companies have targeted a 13% rise in capital spending in 2005, The R&D has observed only a modest increase.

The providers of custom chemicals in the U.S. expect 2005 to be only slightly better than 2004, but some are very optimistic and are forecasting different outlooks and anticipating different challenges. The views offered by some of the suppliers, ranging in size and services from one-stop shopping to specialized offerings, on the current trend in the market are presented.

Several important advances made in 2004 in areas ranging from biochemistry and drug research to nanotech and inorganic chemistry, have been presented. These developments signify major strides toward attaining a better understanding of the chemical and biological world, and indicate novel applications of that knowledge in the future.

The heightened manufacturer demand for chemical raw materials has resulted in higher sales volumes for chemical companies during the second quarter of 2010 compared with the second quarter of 2009. Despite higher revenues in this quarter, many chief executive officers of chemical firms believe that the rebound in earnings might be difficult to sustain for the rest of 2010.

Innovations in fine and custom chemicals were showcased at the annual Informex trade show held in San Francisco, California in February 2010. The manufacturers of these chemicals they hope to attract clients by providing new capabilities. Strategies that have been done by the manufacturers to survive the economic recession are discussed.

The growth of the chemical industry in Asia is forecasted to decline. Members of the petrochemical sector have cut costs, shutdown facilities and performed maintenance shutdowns earlier than scheduled. Statistics on the chemical industry are also presented.

The European chemical industry is forecasted to suffer a decline in 2009. Chemical producers are temporarily limiting production to cope with the drop in demand. Statistics on the European economy are also presented.

The American Chemistry Council has forecasted that United States chemical demand will continue to weaken in 2009. Industry members have warned of decreased earnings. Statistics on the chemical industry are also presented.

Most chemical companies in the U.S. except Mosaic and Terra have registered lower earnings and profits in the second quarter. It was attributed to the increase in costs of fuel, raw materials and the subprime mortgage crisis that has affected the U.S. economy.

Participating chemical companies at the Chemspec Europe exhibition in Munich have expressed satisfaction at the business scenario despite high costs of energy, raw materials and the depreciating dollar.

The chemical results for the year 2006 are presented and the performance of the European chemical industry is evaluated with respect to production, basics, petrochemicals and currency. The forecasts for the year 2007 include a slight slowdown in the industry but a pleasant prospect for the industry.

The performance of the U.S. chemical industry in the year 2006 is evaluated with respect to chemical trade deficit, demand, output, efficiency, market conditions and prices. The predictions for the year 2007 are made emphasizing the concerns related to volatile costs, foreign competition, and adverse geopolitical events.

Low-cost Indian producers are making inroads into a largely-Western market by grabbing up the beleaguered, high-cost assets of Western pharmaceutical chemicals businesses that are exiting the sector after steadily losing money in it since the late 1990s. India's cost advantage, even over China, is significant, largely due to the low cost of labor, and there are major benefits in investment costs in the country.

Members of the Canadian chemical industry are forecasted to suffer decline in sales in 2009. Production volumes for basic chemicals have decreased. Statistics on the chemical industry are also presented.

The financial performance results for 2007 for European chemical companies are put forth.

The mergers and acquisitions that were executed among chemical companies in 2007 despite a projected economic slowdown are presented.

Chemical companies are examining options of the usage of polymer separators used in lithium-ion batteries finding their way into car batteries. This could mean an electric powered rather than a gasoline car.

Latin American's sustained economic growth has led to growth of chemical industry. Companies are hence expanding their chemical business through investments.

A New York City-based investment-banking firm, Young and Partners, has released a survey that merger and acquisition activity increased among chemical producers in 2006. It is observed that the merger and acquisition market will continue to be active but the commodity chemical valuations will fall and those of specialty chemicals will rise.

Chemical companies, which attended the recent 2006 Informex custom chemicals exhibition in Orlando, reported a renewed investment in their businesses, although in more measured terms than in the earlier heyday of pricey acquisitions and major capacity expansions. The companies are coping up to the new world order in the custom chemical manufacturing industry.

Chemical industry was benefited from strong deals in 2005, especially in commodity chemicals, as the business was on the upswing and money was available to finance the activity. Some of the leading takeovers in the chemical industry during the year 2005 are reported.

The higher prices of chemical products prove to be profitable for Canadian chemical shipments in 2005, as shipments for all chemicals increased $39.6 billion. But for longer term, increased cost of natural gas leads to lack of new investment for Canadian chemical industry in global competitive market.

Middle East is going to increase its capacity of ethylene production by 30 million ton per year and propylene by 7 million ton per year by the year 2015. Changes in the world supply, marketing, and R&D stages are going to help the Middle Eastern states to reach the projected mark. Details on how it plans to boost its capacity by 2015 are discussed.

In the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association's second annual business outlook survey, fifty-six percent of respondents to the 2004 said that current business conditions are good, compared with only 27% in 2003. About 70% of respondents said that they expect a 5 to 10% increase in sales and they are optimistic about the future economic picture.

Overall U.S. chemical production volumes is projected to rise by 3.1 percent in 2010 compared with 4.7 percent and 4.5 percent in 2008 and 2009, while chemical output could increase 3.0 percent. Despite the rising trend, the pace of U.S. economic recovery is slower compared with other countries.

President Barack Obama has asked the Congress to widen the scope of research and development tax credit for U.S. businesses to boost the nation's economy. The tax credit, which expired in 2009, has lapsed 13 times since its creation in 1981. Chemical manufacturers could be allowed to manage their research budgets and make efficient business decisions through this tax credit.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) has boosted its advocacy as chemical industry executives who have participated in its annual meeting believe that the industry is facing legislative and regulatory challenges. These challenges include the modernization of the Toxic Substances Control Act and the possibility of chemical product bans.

Sales of Europe's chemical manufacturers during the fourth quarter of 2009 have declined, but earnings improved compared with 2008 figures. This trend has led several chemical manufacturers in Europe to become optimistic about 2010. Among these companies, BASF of Germany posted $18.885 billion in sales and $652 million in earnings for 2009.