Daily Chemical Reaction
Achy Breaky Heart – Global Supply Arteries Expand, Production Blockages Needed To Pump Up Margins
Key Points:
- Global chemical product market indicators reflect improving availability, suggesting considerable risk amid an energy price surge – the risk facing most markets is sizable.
- NW European natural gas prices have surged relative to US levels, and we discuss why the major test will be 1Q23 (not December). We also highlight US production trends.
- We discuss chemical distribution market consolidation and flag projected supply additions in markets, such as HDPE and methanol, where margins are presently low.
- bp and Shell are buying renewable natural gas (RNG) assets, which is a plus for the sellers, but we discuss why benefits to Shell and bp will likely be relatively small.
- Global container freight rates, on average, are trending toward 2019 levels, keeping our concerns of an international slowdown in motion despite a few positive updates.
See PDF below for all charts, tables and diagrams