Cement News tagged under: consumption

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Fitch affirms Central Asia Cement rating revises Outlook upward, Kazakhstan

17 December 2012, Published under Cement News

Fitch Ratings has affirmed Central Asia Cement's (CAC) National Long-Term Rating at 'BB-(kaz)' and revised the joint stock company's Outlook to Positive from Stable. The agency has also affirmed CAC's senior unsecured KZT1.5bn bond rating at 'B(kaz)'. "The completion of Steppe Cement's capital increae reinforces CAC's financial structure and should allow financing of the investment in the Line 5 refurbishment, while reducing leverage," Fitch said in a statement, adding: "The group is sti...

Argentina’s cement sales drop in November

14 December 2012, Published under Cement News

Argentine Portland cement shipments, including exports, slipped by 0.9 per cent MoM to 982,116t in November after registering two consecutive months of improvement. Domestic sales advance 0.5 per cent to 959,567t when compared with last month, but fell 8.6 per cent YoY, according to the Association of Portland Cement Manufacturers (AFCP). For 11M2012, total shipments declined 7.4 per cent to 9.878Mt with a similar cut noted in the domestic market, where demand stood at 9.663Mt. As...

BoA-Merrill upgrades India's cement stocks to 'buy'

14 December 2012, Published under Cement News

Bank of America-Merrill Lynch upgrades its rating across cement stocks to 'buy' from 'neutral' or 'underperform', saying capacity will lag demand, while valuations are below previous up cycles. The investment adds general elections in the next 18 months bode well for the Indian cement sector given the demand-GDP multiplier expanded in four out of the five previous election years. Among the major cement manufacturers, Bank of America upgraded UltraTech Cement and Ambuja Cements to 'buy'...

Brazil Jan-November cement demand rises 7.6%

13 December 2012, Published under Cement News

Cement consumption in Brazil for the January-November 2012 period reached 63.2Mt, 7.6 per cent ahead of the same period of last year,latest data from Sindicato Nacional da Indústria do Cimento (SNIC) showed. In November alone, sales totaled 5.8Mta, an increase of 3.8 per cent over the same month of 2011, according to the latest statistics In terms of sales by day, November deliveries rose by 2.3 per cent compared to October 2012 figures. According to data obtained by SNIC from the S...

Senegal’s cement output impacted by Mali

12 December 2012, Published under Cement News

The prevailing socio-political situation in Mali has had a negative impact on cement production in Senegal. In 3Q12, cement output in Senegal fell by 19 per cent QoQ, according to the Dakar-based Directorate of Forecasting and Economic Studies (DPEE). The situation in Mali resulted in an 11 per cent drop of local sales and a 5.7 per cent cut in exports during the period. YoY figures also show a six per cent contraction. ''However, accumulated over the first nine months of 2012, the pro...

Coboce: Bolivia’s demand growth requires further investment

11 December 2012, Published under Cement News

Without new investment in the cement industry, Cochabamba and Bolivia as a whole could face new supply shortages by 2016. In the past two years, the country has seen demand growth double from seven to 14 per cent and in some cases, growth peaks of up to 26 per cent were recorded. In 2013, a new plant will be launched but the growing demand, fuelled by the growth of public and private works will require further investment. This year the government announced a US$2bn injection in infrastruc...

Ecuador November sales advance 11.1 per cent YoY

10 December 2012, Published under Cement News

Domestic cement sales in Ecuador reached 561,534t in November 2012, an increase of 11.1 per cent compared to the same month of 2011, according to the latest data from the Instituto Ecuatoriano del Cemento (INECYC). For the first 11 months of the year, accumulated sales totalled 5.5Mt, representing a 5.8 per cent YoY rise compared to the same period of 2011, INECYC figures shows.

Angola expansion points to fast growing market

10 December 2012, Published under Cement News

Portugal’s Secil leapt on to the African cement news pages this week with its announced intention to increase production at its Lobito plant in Angola from 0.28Mta to 1.8Mta. This will be a significant boost to the Angolan cement capacity, which currently stands at around 5Mta. The US$150m Secil Lobito expansion project will take three years to complete. The plant is 51 per cent owned by Secil and the Angolan state cement company holds the remaining 49 per cent of shares. After years of ci...

Lafarge Malayan Cement warns of weak 4Q

05 December 2012, Published under Cement News

Lafarge Malayan Cement said it expects the fourth quarter to be weak as demand has been impacted by the rainy season. At a briefing last Friday, the company said its recent unilateral price hike in August 2012 will be dampened somewhat by rebates and discounts. Analysts at CIMB Research had earlier expected the hike in prices to be the key driver in the second half of 2012, and underestimated the impact of the weather patterns on cement demand. Operating costs over the next four quarte...

Cemex leads the charge on US pricing

03 December 2012, Published under Cement News

Cemex is planning two incremental cement price increases in January and April 2013 in a bid to reverse the "chronic under-pricing of cement in the US", says Karl Watson, president Cemex USA. Speaking at a presentation in Mexico on Tuesday this week, Watson said that the price increases of US$8/t each are integral to the company's goal of achieving an EBITDA of over US$1bn by 2016.   "Prices, in real terms, averaged US$154/t in the 1970s. The current industry price of, on average, US$90/t is...