Confidence in chemicals and plastics falls

The number of chemical and plastics companies in western Europe that are positive about the business situation this summer has dropped to 36.7%, compared to 41.7% in the Spring, according to a new report from Ceresana. In its report, Ceresana says the European debt crisis continues to be a risk for the global economy, with recent elections in France and Greece casting doubt on whether the region will be able to combat the crisis resolutely. When asked to evaluate the current situation, just less than half (47.1%) of respondents to Ceresana’s study said their current situation was ‘satisfying’. Some 36.7% answered ‘good’ and 16.2% said ‘poor’. Optimism is stronger in the Asia Pacific region, where two-fifths of respondents assessed their situation as good and 42% as satisfied. The most negative region is eastern Europe, where only 32% thinks the business climate is good. The global chemical and plastic industry thinks the business situation will either improve (42.5%) or stay the same (47.4%) over the next 6-12 months. Only 9.8% of respondents said they expect the business climate to get worse. Companies in Asia and North America were the most confident, with 76% and 63%, respectively, expecting an improvement in the market. Source: europeanplasticsnews.com