Search

Provides information on merger and acquisition activity in the petrochemical industry. Impact of Exxon's proposed takeover of Mobil if approved by regulators; Details on the planned merger between BASF and Fina; Information on the partnership arrangements of Dow Chemical.

Provides information on the merger of Halliburton's Brown & Root and Dresser's M.W. Kellogg in the engineering and construction industry. Services offered by the merged company; List of major global chemical plant projects; Essential elements on project financing.

Evaluates the global chemical trading industry in 2000. Factors that contributed to the industry's positive performance; Impact of mergers and acquisitions on the industry; Outlook on the electronic commerce.

Focuses on the conversion of most nylon and fiber line companies to the polymer and engineering plastics. Planned venture between DuPont and BASF; Forecast on the global demand for nylon fibers; Alliance between the Dow Chemical and Solutia.

Reports on the impact of the economic recession in Asia on commodity plastics industry. Short-term outlook; Effect of oversupply at Nova Chemicals on polymer markets; Worsening forecasts about the ultimate impact of Asia; Competitive advantages in mergers and joint ventures; Question on whether strong regional players can compete among global companies; Measures taken by producers to mitigate the effects of the Asian currency crises.

Forecasts trends in the fertilizer industry for the year 2001. Decline in product prices; Impact of gas price increases on the ammonia industry; Capacity of urea production in South America.

Forecasts the market performance of inorganic chemicals for the year 2001. Factors of profitability; Expected increase in titanium oxide prices; Aims of hydrogen peroxide producers.

Cites the competition in six major industrial gases companies. How producers must compete in the market; How companies can survive the competition; Factors that cause the slow growth of the merchant market.

Focuses on the smuggling of goods into China. Impact of smuggling on the government; Why the antismuggling campaign has limited success during 1998; Penalty imposed for smuggling chemicals; Effect of the tougher antismuggling stance on domestic chemical prices.

Focuses on how consolidation is transforming the phoshoric acid market in 1999. Usage of phosphoric acid; Advantages of the acquisition of Albright & Wilson to Rhodia; Impact of economic problems in Asia and South America to purified phosphoric acid producers.

Reports that European chemical producers are optimistic about the benefits of trading in the euro, which was launched at the beginning of 1999. Remarks from multinational companies such as Shell Chemical, BASF and BP Amoco Chemicals; How the small and mid-size enterprises that trade in one market found the currency switch; European Union member states that have not joined the European Monetary Union.

Profiles Barlocher company, supplier of heat stabilizers for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in Europe. Sales and pretax profits of the company in 1998; Specialty additives to be expanded by the company.

Presents an outlook for ethylene glycol (EG). Projected global EG production capacity for 2000-20001; EG consumption in Asia; Companies that are planning to expand their production capacity; Potential for imports to Asia.

Reports on the acquisition of oil group Rwe-Dea to expand its Condea chemicals business. View of analysts on restructuring in Condea; Assessment of the firm; Strategy of the firm to retain its position as a market leader.

Reports on the financial situation of various commodity plastics as of October 1998. Anticipated further declines in several grades of polyethylene (PE) margins; Pricing and margins in polyvinyl chloride (PVC); Domestic prices and volumes of PVC; Warnings on the temporary nature of the price increases in Asia.

Provides information on the growth of the rubber chemicals industry. Top business players in the industry; Cause of the decline in rubber chemical prices; Producers with restructuring plans.

Discusses the challenges sighted by the Western chemical companies in forming a trading business in China. Factors that make trading a challenge for Western firms; Smuggling activities penetrating in the country; Negative effects of smuggling in trading industry.

Focuses on German chemical exports to Europe. German upgrade of export manufacturing to generated hard currency; Total German chemical investments in Europe; Chemicals exported to Europe.

Reports that oversupply caused by dismal demand and rising capacities has led to a pricing collapse in Asia for most major fibers intermediates. Effects of the overcapacity in the Far East and Southeast Asia; Countries that are not affected by the Asian crises; P-xylene projects that have come onstream in Korea.

Reports on the European para-xylene contracts for the third quarter of 2001. Amount of increase in contracts; Comparison of para-xylene spot prices in the United States and Europe.

Focuses on the expected decline of styrene contracts in Europe during the third quarter of 2001. Reasons for the decline; Percentage decline of styrene prices from April to June 2001; Amount of styrene exported from Russia to western Europe in May 2001.

Focuses on the announced increase in polypropylene (PP) prices for June 2001. Reaction of buyers on lower propylene prices in the second quarter of 2001; Reason for the increase in PP prices since March 2001.

Focuses on caustic soda price increases for June 2001 in Europe. Factors which contributed to the price increase; Demand for caustic soda in North America and Romania; Decline in United States spot prices.

Reports on the reduction of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) production in the European units of Eastman Chemical. Reason for the reduction; Plants involved in the reduction scheme; Trend in PET prices as of June 2001.

Reports on increase in the prices of polyvinyl chloride in Europe in April. Price increase to be implemented by producers; Predicted average price of polyvinyl chloride.

Reports on expected improvement in acrylonitrile margins in Europe for the second quarter of 2001. Factors which contributed to the decline of the margins in the first quarter; Decline in price of acrylo.

Announces that polyethylene (PE) producers in Europe are hiking prices in May 2001. Reason for the increase of PE prices; PE margins; Price for the month of April.

Discusses the prices of propylene spot in Europe and the argument of a leading producer regarding an ethylene contract. Reason for the increase in the prices; Observation on ethylene margins; Expectation on olefins spot prices.

Deals with the decline in acrylo spot prices in Europe due to the outages at propylene units and acrylonitrile plants in April 2001. Chemical plants undergoing maintenance turnaround; Consequence of the decline in contracts for feedstock propylene.

Reports on the increase in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) prices in Europe as of April 2001. Reason for the price increase; Effect of restocking by converters and seasonal demands on the PVC market; Discussion on the possible impact of the closure of two Solvin plants in Belgium.

Reports that Shell and DEA have agreed to merge their refining and petrochemical operations in Germany beginning on October 1, 2001. Expectations from their joint venture; Benefits for the parent company of DEA.

Reports on the supply and demand for polyolefins in Europe as of April 2001. Impact of scheduled outages at olefins plants; Problems with polyethylene prices; Plans of polypropylene producers.

Reports that European olefins producers have raised contract expectations for the second-quarter of 2001. Previous anticipated declines; Ethylene spot prices in North West Europe.

Reports on the roll over of methanol contracts in the United States for the second-quarter of year 2000. Supply of methanol.

Reports on the plans of European caustic soda producers to increase second-quarter contract prices in Northwest Europe in 2001. Reason for the increase of caustic soda spot prices; Price increases announced by United States producers; Effect of the closure of the caustic soda unit of OxyChem at Convent, Louisiana.

Focuses on the efforts of polyolefin manufacturers to reverse the price declines of their polypropylene (PP) products as of March 7, 2001. Price increases announced by Basell and Dow Chemical for its PP and polyethylene (PE) in Europe; Prices for film-grade low-density PE and linear low-density PE; Comparison of PP operating rates for the third and fourth quarters of 2000.

Reports the status of the ethylene market in Europe. Increase in ethylene prices; Decline in ethylene exports from the United States.

Focuses on the decline in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) prices in Europe in February 2001. Reasons for the high inventories among PVC producers.

Predicts that the United States and European petrochemical industries would face a more difficult time in 2001. Factors that will affect profit margins; Overcapacity problem of the industry in 2000; Period when a recovery in profitability is predicted.

Reports that the European Union European Commission will investigate alleged manipulation of the United Kingdom (UK) natural gas market by offshore suppliers who ship gas via a pipeline from Zeebrugge, Belgium to Bacton, UK. Members of the Energy Intensive Users' Group; Result of a study by energy consultants ILEX on natural gas prices in Europe.

Reports on the fire that halted operations at the methanol unit of DEA AG in Wesseling, Germany on February 9, 2001. Likely impact of the outage caused by the fire; Rise in European ethanol spot prices.

Reports on the impact of reduced operating rates at derivatives units on the prices of propylene in Europe since January 2001. Decrease in the prices of propylene; Average price of propylene in the United States; Paper chemical companies which were affected by the decrease in the prices of propylene.

Reports the increase in prices for soda ash in Europe. Reasons for the increase.

Cites the financial problems of acrylonitrile producers in Europe in January 2001. Cause of their difficulties; Measures taken by the producers; Information on fourth-quarter acrylonitrile contracts.

Cites the decline in first-quarter styrene contracts in Europe in 2001. Factors which contributed to the trend; Expectations of producers; Comparison with the American and Asian styrene markets.

Reports on the increase in ethylene capacity worldwide. Factors driving the rapid growth of ethylene output in the Middle East; Details on an ethylene unit being planned by a joint venture of National Industrialization Co. and Basell; Important factor to the future of Mideast ethane-based ethylene production.

Outlines the plans of European producers of ethylene glycol to increase the price of the product. Factors that influence the price increase; Producers that shutdown their plants.

Reports on the business loss experienced by European polymer producers. Causes of the loss; Prices of polyolefins; Decline in the prices of polypropylene.

Describes the market condition of ortho- and para-xylene chemicals in Europe as of January 2001. Cause of the market decline; Prices of the chemicals; Forecasts of producers.

Reveals the low record of caustic soda inventories in Europe. Prices of the chemical; Factors which contributed to the market decline; Price increase plans of caustic soda producers.