Geopolitics, energy volatility, and persistent oversupply are reshaping the global chemical industry as 2025 draws to a close. Victoria Meyer sits down with Kurt Barrow and Andrew Neale from S&P Global to address the forces driving today’s market dynamics, the impact of government policies, and the shifting landscape heading into 2026. They break down how new sanctions, tariffs, and energy transition policies are influencing everything from oil prices and supply chains to chemical production strategies worldwide.
The episode explores regional strengths and vulnerabilities, with North America, the Middle East, and China taking leading roles amid rationalization and capacity closures in Europe and South Korea. Kurt Barrow and Andrew Neale share insights on how chemical producers are responding to cost shifts, supply chain resets, and evolving consumer demand. The conversation also previewed the upcoming World Petrochemical Conference and CERAWeek, emphasizing the need for industry leaders to stay agile in response to accelerated change, emerging technologies, and global market imbalances.
Victoria, Kurt, and Andrew discuss the following this week:
Killer Quote: "We’ve gone from that globalization to regionalization—that almost helps some of your high cost players very short term...that’s a very near term. How long that lasts if we have another round of tariff movements—European, and we will, but European, I don’t know what it is, but we will in Q2." —Andrew Neale
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