文档介绍：nigel davis/london
RIDING THE rollercoaster of soaring
energy modity prices, global chemi-
cal industry players performed remarkably
well in 2007. Most of the sector continued
to bask in good times, with demand growth
still high, but the US downturn began to
bite, and, for some, life was harder.
In this issue, ICIS Chemical Business casts
a sharp eye over the financial performance
of the leading players in the industry
– from the broad-based to the focused
makers of chemicals, fertilizers and indus-
trial gases.
The ICIS Top 100 panies
includes all chemical firms with annual sales
greater than $ (€). It charts the
fortunes of a geographically diverse group of
players that supply vitally important materi-
als to the world’s growing industries.
The ICIS Top 100 analysis captures a
broad set of financial data for the world’s
leading panies.
A total of 18 financial metrics are col-
lected from panies themselves, from
annual reports and other sources. An array
of ratios is generated from this data. The
analysis looks at the 100 panies
by sales, but data are also collected for
smaller players to facilitate regional analyses.
We gather corporate, rather than divi-
sional data for most firms to help with a
broader ratio analysis. But for the major oil
and energy producers, we look at the