Chemical production has increased in most categories, with the exception of agricultural chemicals.
The American Chemistry Council’s “Global Chemical Production Regional Index”1 (Global CPRI) shows that the 2016 second quarter ended on a soft note, with the headline index rising only 0.1% on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis in June. During June, chemical production increased in Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific regions; production fell in North America and Latin America. The Global CPRI was up 2.1% year-over-year (Y/Y) on a 3MMA basis and stood at 108.5% of its average 2012 levels in June.
During June, capacity usage in the global business of chemistry declined 0.2 percentage points to 79.2%. This is off from 80.7% last June and is below the long-term (1987-2015) average of 89.1%.