巴斯夫化工业务一季度盈利将继续下滑

据ICIS网站3月3日德国报道 据总部位于德国的巴斯夫化工业务首席财务官称，预计第一季度巴斯夫化工业务的收益将走弱。

此前，巴斯夫的商品化业务在2019年遭遇困境。

巴斯夫首席财务官Hans-Ulrich Engel表示，巴斯夫许多关键化学品和材料产品的价格仍然疲软，尤其是异氰酸酯和烯烃/聚合物，这意味着在不久的将来，预期不会有什么改善。

Engel 表示：“如果将2020年第一季度与2019年第一季度相比较，我们处于明显低于2019年第一季度的水平，这也是我们预计化工板块整体走弱的主要原因。我们在裂解产品方面也面临同样的情况。”

他补充说：“2019年第一季度的价格仍然不错，但全年价格和利润率都有所下降。”

该首席财务官是在该公司2月28日德国路德维希港总部举行的财报记者招待会期间发表上述讲话。

2019年，该公司化工业务（包括石化产品和中间产品）和材料业务（包括聚氨酯和聚酰胺）的息税前利润（EBIT）或营业利润分别下降了60%和59%。

这意味着EBIT综合息税前利润下降了22亿美元，至18亿美元。

基本化学品需求和利润率下降的程度足以抵消表面技术、农业解决方案和工业解决方案收益36%的增长。

总部位于德国的聚氨酯生产商Covestro上月预测，尽管异氰酸酯的价格可能在2019年底触底，但在不久的将来，异氰酸酯定价反弹的势头不大。

Engel表示，这主要是巴斯夫的观点，但价格进一步下跌的空间取决于冠状病毒对市场的影响。

王磊 摘译自 ICIS

原文如下：

BASF chemicals earnings to continue falling in Q1 – CFO

BASF's chemicals division earnings are expected to be weaker in the first quarter, according to the CFO at the Germany-headquartered major.

The warning comes after BASF recorded a difficult 2019 for its commoditised operations.

Prices remain weak for many of BASF's key chemicals and materials products, particularly isocyanates and olefins/polymers, meaning little improvement is expected in the near future, according to BASF CFO Hans-Ulrich Engel.

“If you compare Q1 2020 to Q1 2019, we are at levels significantly below Q1 2019, which is also the main driver for saying we are expecting the chemicals segment overall to be weaker. We have the same situation with respect to cracker products,” said Engel.

“There were still decent prices in Q1 2019 - but throughout the year prices and margins dropped,” he added.

The CFO was speaking>Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT), or operating profit, for the company’s chemicals division – covering petrochemicals and intermediates –and its materials business – covering polyurethanes and polyamides – fell 60% and 59% respectively in 2019.

This represented a combined EBIT before special items drop of €2.2bn to €1.8bn

The extent of the falls in demand and margins for basic chemicals was strong enough to offset gains for surface technologies, agricultural solutions, and a 36% increase in industrial solutions earnings.

Germany-based polyurethanes major Covestro forecast last month that there was little momentum for a rebound in isocyanates pricing in the near future despite prices potentially bottoming out in late 2019.

This is largely BASF’s view, but scope for prices to fall further is dependent on the impact of coronavirus on markets, according to Engel.