Trough Talk

First-quarter earnings reports show that conditions are no longer getting worse as chemical demand may have hit a trough (p. 6). Producers remain cautious, however, and expect global recessionary conditions to remain through 2009. BASF chairman and CEO Jürgen Hambrecht told investors last week there are no signs that the economy will improve this year. “We do not consider temporary topping up of inventories in some regions and industries to be signs of a sustainable upturn,” Hambrecht says. Hambrecht braced BASF shareholders for a possible...

This information is only available to Chemical Week subscribers.

Forgot your user ID or password?
Click here to have it sent to you.

Email Address First Name Last Name

Not an IHS Chemical Week 24/7 member yet? Here's why you should be: Searchable online archive access of the last 2 years of Chemical Week. Print or digital magazine subscription Price and market change alerts Economic data and statistics Buyers' Guides Webcasts | whitepapers