by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist When I began writing this column in 2013, I focused on China as a source of better-priced chemicals. I took note then of a 2011 Deloitte forecast that China was on the verge of surpassing the US in total chemicals sales. Time to...
Can US Polyethylene Net Exports Expect a Lift from Shale?
The trade data shows US polyethylene net exports decreased 20% in October and 7% in November 2014 compared to the same months in 2013 – continuing a downward trend that has persisted since 2009 and through last year’s first three quarters: The US is still a net...
Fasten Your Seatbelts for Turbulence in Chemicals Prices
by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist In September’s column, we compared first-quarter with second-quarter best and average prices for the basket of 10 chemical commodities that make up the Datamyne US Best Price Benchmark (posted to the Datamyne homepage). This...
Chemical Price Storm Clouds on the Horizon?
by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist The Chemcost search for the new cheap in US chemicals continues … even as chemical price storm clouds appear to be gathering. We’ve compared first-quarter with second-quarter best and average prices for the 10 chemical...
Follow BIG Shipment Volumes to Smallest Prices in Chemicals
by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist Chemcost’s approach to global price discovery is based on the theory that volumes shipped point the way to competitive pricing. Call it a volume-centric approach. And we typically find in using this approach that global shipment...
Best Price Data Yields Best Savings from EU-Sourced Chemicals
by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist This is not another April Fool’s story. Finding what we at Chemcost Interactive* call “The New Cheap” – the markets that offer the lowest prices for chemicals commodities – takes digging into the data on global buying and selling...
Naming Names: Best-Price Alternative Sources for Chemicals
by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist In past columns, Chemcost has explored where in the world US chemicals purchasers can find the “New Cheap.” This month, we focus on who can deliver lower prices, with a demonstration of how Datamyne’s US bill of lading import...
Census Trade Data Suppression: How to Hide a $1 Billion Profit?
by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist The US Census, the source for US import-export trade statistics, routinely modifies or suppresses selected data, primarily to protect confidentiality. Thus, statistics for two or more ports may be combined and published under an...
LatAm Chemical Trade Stats Point to Savings for US Purchasers
by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist Chemcost’s search for “the New Cheap”* winds up this month with a big opportunity story in Latin American trade. Last month we focused on Brazil (see Brazil’s In-Balance Trade Offers One Sweet Saving Opportunity). This month our...
Brazil’s In-Balance Trade Offers One Sweet Saving Opportunity
by Brian J. McCormick, guest columnist As promised last time, Chemcost’s search for “The New Cheap”* changes course this month and heads south to Brazil. What we find is that Brazil’s trade in the 10 chemical commodities that make up Datamyne’s US Best Price Benchmark...