News

Barite Market Closely Follows Oil Industry Behaviour

September 21, 2017

The main end-use application for barites, which are primary, naturally occurring barium-based minerals, is the oil and gas industry where barites are used as weighting agents in drilling muds: the oil and gas exploration sector accounts for about 75 of …

Current Oversupply Leads to Price Decreases in Ammonia Market

September 15, 2017

Ammonia is one of the most important building blocks of the chemical industry. It is also indispensable in the production of liquid nitric fertilizers such as ammonium nitrate, urea, DAP/MAP or aqua ammonia. As a commercial product and important chemical …

Asia Dominates 2-Ethylhexanol (2-EH) Market

September 6, 2017

Fatty alcohol 2-ethylhexanol (2-EH) is a large-tonnage organic chemical used in numerous applications such as solvents, flavors, functional fluids, emollients, coating agents and fragrances. As such, it is embedded into complex chemical product chains (e.g. propylene, synthesis gas, n-butyraldehyde, 2-EH …

Relationship between Belaruskali and Uralkali as Manifestation of Potash Market Volatility

August 28, 2017

The global potash market demonstrates volatility and large price fluctuations. It is true in the case of regional markets though some of them can demonstrate bigger stability, especially in fixing prices (e.g. China). This volatility is multi-faceted, dynamic, complex and …

Iodine Price Stabilized and Increased in H1 2017

August 18, 2017

Large monopolization of the global iodine market, both on corporate and regional levels, leads to iodine supply and price fluctuations, augmented by various factors. Chile, which is the world largest iodine manufacturer with a growing production potential (with 60% of …

Recent Tightness on Caprolactam Market Eases Off

August 11, 2017

The dynamics of the caprolactam (capro) market is largely dependent on the behaviour of its upstream and downstream sectors. Upstream here means predominantly cyclohexane since approximately 68% of the world’s caprolactam is produced from cyclohexane, which in turn relies on …

Mining Sector Presents Foundation for Sodium Cyanide Market

August 3, 2017

The thriving global mining sector remains the cornerstone of the market for sodium cyanide, which is indispensable in mining operations, especially in gold and silver processing. Whenever the mining sector is at risk (due to the lack of reforms, protective …

Tight Supply on Methyl Methacrylate Market Might Persevere

July 27, 2017

The recent developments of the methyl methacrylate (MMA) sector, marked by very tight supply, strong demand and price hikes, fit well into the general picture of uncertainty and volatility from both current macroeconomic perspective and the MMA sector specifics. The …

Innovation Is Key Activity in Iron Ore Mining Business

July 19, 2017

Iron ores like hematite and magnetite, being one of the most abundant elements in the Earth’s crust, have laid the foundation for modern and previous civilizations through the myriad of their application in weaponry, tools, machinery, construction, transportation, to name …

Steady Demand and Flexible Marketing Strategies Foster Borate Market Development

June 29, 2017

The demand for boron minerals and compounds has been growing at a steady pace driven by various exogenous and endogenous factors. First, it seems that applicability of borates is predetermined by their very nature, including their importance for humans and …

Prospects for Platinum Group Metals Look Good Despite Uncertainty

June 22, 2017

Platinum group metals or PGM (platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium, osmium) form a uniform, yet fairly diverse with respect to market trajectories, selection of rare metals with unique properties and a wide application range. This range mainly centers on high-tech …

Adipic Acid Market Demonstrates Mixed Sentiments and Complex Picture

June 15, 2017

Adipic acid (ADA) is a large-scale chemical product embedded in the nylon-66/nylon-6 production chain which also features upstream benzene, cyclohexane and hexamethylenediamine. The bulk of cyclohexane is used to produce adipic acid and caprolactam (capro). With other outlets, including downstream …

Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether Market Demonstrates High Volatility

June 8, 2017

Ether-based oxyfuels, like methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE), can be defined as octane boosters or Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) reducers used as green blending components and additives in motor vehicle fuels. ETBE has a …

Volatility is Mega-Trend of Monoethylene Glycol (MEG) Market

May 25, 2017

Monoethylene glycol (MEG) is a versatile large-scale chemical intermediate embedded in complex chemical commodity chains, composed of various upstream (incl. crude oil and offgas) and downstream products (e.g. polyethylene terephthalate or PET and its multiple derivatives). These chains mostly exist …

Construction Sector Drives Gypsum Industry Growth

May 18, 2017

The global gypsum industry is mainly driven by the construction and renovation sectors as natural gypsum is especially suitable for the manufacture of cement, building plasters, dry mixes, wallboards and other gypsum products. In some of these uses, gypsum has …

Lime Producers Need to Develop Clever Market Strategies

May 11, 2017

Lime and its products are marked by use versatility and abundance of resources. In market terms, lime is a low-value commodity which is not widely traded internationally. Most countries have limestone resources and manufacture lime for domestic consumption. Lime is …

Scandium Market Exhibits Lucrative Growth Potential

April 20, 2017

Scandium is a soft, silvery-white metallic element that might be viewed as a representative of the rare earth class of natural elements. This class includes lanthanides, such as yttrium and scandium. The latter has properties which make it possible to …

Current Economic Outlook May Affect Zirconium Market

April 12, 2017

Zirconium (Zr) is a grayish-white metallic element employed in ceramics, foundry, refractory, electronics, nuclear industry and other applications. More than 80% of the world zirconium reserves are located in two countries: Australia (65%) and South Africa (18%). Zirconium production is …

Recent Upsurge in Cumene Prices in US Is Viewed as Manifestation of Bigger Trend

April 5, 2017

Cumene is an important intermediate in the chemical chain leading from refinery-grade propylene (RGP) and benzene (which have precursors as well), via their catalytic alkylation, to other chemicals, including predominantly phenol and acetone, followed by a number of chemical and …

Low Abundance and High Monopolization Are Major Subjects of Concern in Indium Market

March 29, 2017

Indium (In) is a rare-earth metal employed in flat-panel display screens (as a component of thin-film coatings), solders, alloys, electrical components, semiconductors, photovoltaic cells (e.g., copper indium gallium diselenide solar cells), complex intermetallic compounds (e.g. indium gallium nitride) and other …

Propylene Glycol Market to See Near Equilibrium Situation throughout 2017

March 16, 2017

Propylene glycol is a viscous synthetic liquid derived either from propylene oxide under petroleum-based pathway or glycerine via the bio-based way of production. Specific properties, low toxicity and large versatility make it an attractive commodity in many industrial and commercial …

South-East Asia Dominates Polyvinyl Acetate Market

March 7, 2017

Polyvinyl acetate is an aliphatic polymer made by polymerization of vinyl acetate monomer (VAM). Polyvinyl acetate absorbs nearly half of VAM. VAM itself is a highly versatile intermediate used in the production of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) …

Effective Strategies for Carbon Black Market to Combat Current Macroeconomic Uncertainty

February 24, 2017

Carbon black is mainly used as a rubber-reinforcing agent and performance additive in diverse applications in rubber products (e.g. tires, hoses, belts, etc.), coatings, printing inks, extruded profiles, moulded goods and polymer systems. The diversity of carbon black uses dictates …

New Capacity Additions to Meet Current Methanol Demand Rise

February 17, 2017

The use of methanol and its blends as a fuel is determined by a number of their strengths. These strengths may include attractive prices as compared to gasoline, ethanol and their blends; simplified applicability without significant modification of methanol-running engine; …

Polycarbonate Market Showed Little Apprehension on BPA-related Move

February 8, 2017

Polycarbonates are a group of thermoplastic polymers, which forms an important commodity chain from acetone/phenol feedstock to various end-products. They are notable for their excellent performance specs with respect to stability, impact strength, transparency, thermal resistance, processability, low-temperature toughness, dielectric …