Abstract
FOURTH-QUARTER EARNINGS reports show that the chemical industry has begun to emerge from the wreckage of the worldwide economic collapse. Compared with the disastrous fourth quarter of 2008, companies in C&EN’s earnings index increased sales by an average of 2.1% and earnings by 1.9%. Of the 20 companies on the list, nine increased quarterly earnings by more than 100%. But the reports were not uniformly positive. Three firms—FMC Corp., Mosaic, and Nalco—saw earnings decline compared with last year’s quarter. And nine firms, or almost half of those in the index, saw quarterly sales decline year over year. As the worldwide economy began its slow, fragile rebound, many companies paid close attention to quarter-to-quarter sales figures. Compared with the third quarter, only 12 of the 20 firms saw sales go up. Executives at the chemical firms say they see signs of strengthening demand. Both Dow Chemical and DuPont reported that sales volumes increased 10% from ...
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