Westlake soars on shale advantage; Kraton's loss widens on charge

摘要

Westlake Chemical and Kraton Performance Polymers posted divergent results for the fiscal quarter ended 31 December 2012. Westlake's fourth-quarter earnings more than tripled from the year-ago quarter, since cheap ethane continues to drive significant cost advantages for US ethylene producers, while Kraton posted stronger volumes but weaker margins.