Global Industry Forecasts > Quarterly Industry Forecasts > Chemicals

Global chemical production increased by 3.4% compared to year-ago levels in Q1 2016, a decrease from the previous quarter, as emerging markets output accelerated while that of developed economies slowed sharply. Since the start of the year, we have seen mixed signals with markets rallying at the start of the second quarter, including oil, but on the other hand, the global manufacturing PMI has continued to slide. As a result, this means that we do not expect a convincing rise in chemicals output until later this year, with output expected to increase by 3¼%, and 4% in 2017.