The rate at which industry demand continues to disintegrate in late 2008 is startling. Alarms have been sounding since the financial crisis swelled in September, pushing anxious... http://www.chemweek.com/sections/viewpoint/15497.html
Dow Chemical strove last week to keep energy high on the U.S. agenda in the face of the recent free fall in oil and natural gas prices by issuing a blueprint for a comprehensive... http://www.chemweek.com/sections/viewpoint/15355.html
The victory of Barack Obama and Democratic gains in Congress herald a much changed and more challenging regulatory environment for chemical makers in 2009. Progress on energy policy... http://www.chemweek.com/sections/viewpoint/15205.html
Third-quarter results are almost an afterthought given the economic and market turmoil since late September. With attention focused on what lies ahead for industry, CW turns over this... http://www.chemweek.com/sections/viewpoint/14953.html
The bulk of third-quarter earnings for U.S. chemical makers will be reported this week, but industry attention will be focused more on what lies ahead rather than actual results... http://www.chemweek.com/sections/viewpoint/14813.html
Chemical makers have just closed out a challenging quarter with a very tough week. Shares in the CW75 index slipped 21% during the quarter and 9% for the week ended September 30... http://www.chemweek.com/sections/viewpoint/14587.html
The Billion-Dollar Club, CW’s exclusive ranking of chemical firms compiled by senior editor Kerri Walsh, provides a useful guide to shifts at the top of the industry’s... http://www.chemweek.com/sections/viewpoint/14433.html
Turmoil at Ciba Specialty Chemicals and Clariant, both based in Basel, Switzerland, underscore the pressures bearing down on certain sectors of the specialty chemical market. Clariant... http://www.chemweek.com/sections/viewpoint/14154.html
With the Beijing Olympics over attention now turns to whether China can sustain economic and industrial growth, one of the critical pillars of chemical industry strength in recent... http://www.chemweek.com/sections/viewpoint/14006.html
Chemical makers may welcome the recent retreat in energy prices but lower raw material costs are already creating downward pressure on chemical pricing. Crude oil hit $145/bbl in... http://www.chemweek.com/sections/viewpoint/13748.html
Mitsubishi Chemical, subject of this week’s cover story (p. 17), offers a glimpse at influences and strategies that are reshaping Japan’s chemical sector. A prolonged... http://www.chemweek.com/sections/viewpoint/13602.html
Those looking to make the case against decoupling—the idea that world economies can shrug off a weak U.S.—just need to look a bit north of the U.S., to Canada. Canadian... http://www.chemweek.com/sections/viewpoint/13381.html
As DuPont chairman and CEO Chad Holliday noted on the company’s investor call last week, U.S. housing and automotive markets will eventually recover and revert to the norm but there... http://www.chemweek.com/sections/viewpoint/13226.html
Soaring energy and feedstock costs, depressed automotive and housing markets, weak U.S. demand, and cratering share prices could lead some to believe that the down cycle is here for... http://www.chemweek.com/sections/viewpoint/13075.html
Dow Chemical’s quick strike to acquire Rohm and Haas (R&H) for $18.8 billion demonstrates that attractive assets can still draw strong prices even in turbulent times. The... http://www.chemweek.com/sections/viewpoint/12939.html
Dow Chemical’s move last week to lift pricing by a further 25% in July, in addition to the 20% hike it announced in May, underscores the urgent and critical situation faced by... http://www.chemweek.com/sections/viewpoint/12712.html
The apparent collapse of Hexion Specialty Chemicals’ $10.6-billion bid to acquire Huntsman signals the end of the “big-bang” chemical M&A environment, at least... http://www.chemweek.com/sections/viewpoint/12574.html
It may not have had a formal spot on the agenda, but the ongoing surge in energy and feedstock costs and industry’s response was on the minds of many at ACC’s annual... http://www.chemweek.com/sections/viewpoint/12442.html
Dow Chemical’s move last week to boost prices by as much as 20% on all 3,100 of its products garnered wide media coverage. Much of the focus was on what the potential impact will... http://www.chemweek.com/sections/viewpoint/12208.html
There is no sign that inflationary pressures in the engineering and construction (E&C) industry will ease any time soon, as our cover story this week shows (p. 20). Equipment and... http://www.chemweek.com/sections/viewpoint/12074.html
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