From jubilation in July to despair in December — Chemical traders ride the roller coaster in 2008

摘要

The past year has indeed been a roller coaster ride for players in the chemical industry. Most chemical prices in the Mumbai market have mirrored the dramatic rise and equally dramatic fall in crude oil prices. Crude oil was hovering around the 40 per barrel mark in December, down from the heady 147 per barrel in July or even the 90-levels in January. This volatility in the mother feedstock for the chemical industry percolated down to the downstream sectors during the year.