Daily Chemical Reaction
Caught In The Moment – Many 1Q23 Chemical Sector Trends Are Poised To Reverse, Relative Trades In Focus
Key Points:
- US chemical sector equities markedly outperformed the market YTD. Specialties have notably underperformed the commodity sector, and we discuss why this trend could reverse in 2H23.
- US commodity chemical equities outperformed the overall market and other chemical sub-sectors in 1Q23, as they did for most of 1H22 before fundamentals loosened amid excess supply.
- We flag the announced Sherwin-Williams divestment of its architectural coatings business and Wanhua 1Q results considering Covestro preliminary results and MDI feedstock margin trends.
- We discuss the need for the full 45V credit to incentivize green hydrogen developments if a green price premium cannot be relied upon, and the tilt in PPA agreements toward renewables.
- On average, most anticipate global construction markets to remain weak in 1H23 but begin to improve in 2H23, though consumer affordability headwinds are expected to remain stiff YoY.
See PDF below for all charts, tables and diagrams