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☆ BASF cuts 2023 earnings guidance on weak industrial demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FRANKFURT, July 12 (Reuters) - German chemicals giant BASF (BASFn.DE) on Wednesday cut its full-year earnings guidance, the latest in a string of chemical companies caught out by weak demand from industrial clients and higher interest rates. In an unscheduled statement, BASF said earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) and adjusted for special items would be 4.0 billion euros to 4.4 billion euros ($4.90 billion) in 2023It had previously projected adjusted EBIT of 4.8 billion euros to 5.4 billion euros for the year, down from 6.9 billion in 2022. "Global chemical production declined perceptibly in the first half of 2023," BASF said in a statement, putting this down to slowing growth in industrial output. Chemical industry peers such as Croda (CRDA.L), Lanxess (LXSG.DE) , Victrex (VCTX.L) , Clariant (CLN.S) and Evonik (EVKn.DE) have recently cut their guidance, prompting several analysts to predict that BASF would be next. Second-quarter adjusted EBIT dropped 57% to 1.01 billion euros, down from 2.34 billion a year ago.

Persons: EBIT, VCI, Ludwig Burger, Sarah Marsh, Jane Merriman, Sharon Singleton Organizations: BASF, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, Europe, China

☆ Column: Germany energy transition faces key chemical sector conundrum
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

However, Germany is also home to Europe's largest chemicals sector which churns out plastics, paints, acids and other key inputs that are critical to manufacturers and heavy industries that form the backbone of the German economy. Sharply lower business activity also caused a drop in chemicals consumption last year, but as economic activity recovered in 2023 a lingering shortage of key chemical products has pushed German chemicals prices to near record premiums over those supplied by other producers. DAMAGE DONEThe sustained high prices of German chemical products over international rivals have two important damaging consequences. If the German chemicals sector is to ensure its own long-term future, it must somehow win back any business lost among commodity manufacturers by driving product prices steadily lower relative to rival offerings. On its own, the chemicals sector may struggle to both cut costs and clean up its own product lines and emissions footprints.

Persons: Gavin Maguire, Christopher Cushing Organizations: German Chemicals Association, Reuters, Thomson Locations: LITTLETON , Colorado, Germany, Europe, South East Asia, Polymerupdate, United States

☆ Germany's half-a-trillion dollar energy bazooka may not be enough
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Christoph Steitz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Almost half a trillion dollars, and counting, since the Ukraine war jolted it into an energy crisis nine months ago. The money set aside stands at up to 440 billion euros ($465 billion), according to the calculations, which provide the first combined tally of all of Germany's drives aimed at avoiding running out of power and securing new sources of energy. That equates to about 1.5 billion euros a day since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Energy rationing is a risk in the event of a long cold spell this winter, Germany's first in half a century without Russian gas. There's no security in sight either, with the push to build up of two alternatives to Russian fuel - liquefied natural gas (LNG) and renewables - years away from targeted levels.

☆ Germany girds for gas supply pain, targets $93 billion price relief plan
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-09 | by ( Holger Hansen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Under a second stage of Germany's plan, the brake would cut the gas price to 12 cents from March through to the end of April 2024 on 80% of usage. For large industrial customers, a price brake of 7 cents is to apply to the procurement price from January 2023. Hans Juergen Kerkhoff, president of the German Steel Federation, said the scheme was a key building block to support companies during the energy crisis. Comparison portal Verivox said its calculations showed that the brake proposal would reduce household gas costs by around 41%. "The gas price brake is a very important first step that gives many companies back some confidence that they can overcome the crisis," VCI Managing Director Wolfgang Grosse Entrup said in a statement, calling for an electricity price brake as well.

The annual energy price increase in Germany in August on average was 139%, latest producer price data showed this week. In a BDI survey of 593 businesses, more than a third said their existence was threatened by higher energy prices, up from 23% in February. Industry group VKU has also joined the chorus of concern, warning that local utilities faced insolvency due to high energy prices and possible defaults from their customers. read moreThe head of the German Chemicals Industry Association VCI on Tuesday said rising energy prices were a "huge alarm call" for Germany as a place to do business. He welcomed Buschmann's initiative to relax insolvency rules but added that suspending them outright again would be a "serious mistake".

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