Specialty Chemicals End Quarter Well

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) reported that US specialty chemicals market volumes ended the first quarter on a good note, increasing 0.4 percent in March after a 0.3 percent gain in February and a 0.1 percent gain in January. All changes in the data are reported on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis. Of the twenty-eight specialty chemical segments we monitor, eighteen expanded in March, nine markets experienced decline and one featured no change. During March, large market volume gains (1.0 percent and over) occurred in cosmetic chemicals, foundry chemicals, and oilfield chemicals.
 
The overall specialty chemicals volume index was up 4.2 percent on a year-over-year (Y/Y) 3MMA basis. The index stood at 111.6 percent of its average 2012 levels. This is equivalent to 7.69 billion pounds (3.49 million metric tons). On a Y/Y basis, there were gains among twenty-one market and functional specialty chemical segments. Compared to last year, volumes were down in seven segments.