According to the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), the U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI) fell by 0.8 percent in November after gains the previous three months. During November, chemical output declined across all regions, ACC says.
Chemical production was mixed over the three-month period. There were gains in the production three-month moving average (3MMA) output trend of fertilizers, chlor-alkali, coatings, synthetic dyes and pigments, and industrial gases. These gains were offset by declines in the output of synthetic rubber, miscellaneous inorganic chemicals, pesticides, organic chemicals, consumer products, adhesives, other specialty chemicals, and manufactured fibers.
Nearly all manufactured goods are produced using chemistry in some form. Thus, manufacturing activity is an important indicator for chemical production. On a 3MMA basis, manufacturing activity edged lower for a third month in November, off by 0.1 percent. Output expanded in several chemistry-intensive manufacturing industries, including food and beverages, aerospace, computers, semiconductors, iron and steel products, oil and gas extraction, paper, structural panels, printing, and textile mill products.
Compared with November 2018, U.S. chemical production was off by 1.9 percent on a year-over-year basis, the sixth consecutive month of Y/Y decline. Chemical production was lower than a year ago in all regions, with the largest year-ago declines in the Gulf Coast and Midwest regions, ACC says.