Domestic demand for surfactants,which had been strong until last summer,began to decline in October-while applications for daily commodities such as soap,shampoos and laundry detergents remain robust,those for automobiles,ITrelated products,civil engineering and construction works are declining in the wake of a slowdown in the world economy triggered by the U.S.financial crisis.The ongoing global recession is also having an impact on surfactants,which are relatively immune to the ups and downs of the economy.Accordingly,the prices of surfactants,which were raised last summer due to a rise in oil and naphtha prices,are decreasing.The surfactant market,however,is expected in remain stable,with applications for liquid laundry detergents and oilier daily commodities as the driving force.Likewise,special applications such as those for semiconductors(with increasingly dense circuit designs)and solar cells are showing an upward trend.
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