Air Products and Chemicals IncAPD
▲ PositiveDemandrelevance
Awarded long-term agreement to supply gases to semiconductor manufacturer's expansion in Taiwan, driving product demand.
Impact on assets 1
Critical Materials & Supply Chain
Air Products and Chemicals IncTheme Impact 2
Off-coverage companies
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United StatesRPM International Set to Report Q1 Fiscal 2027 Results on Oct. 6
RPM International is scheduled to report first-quarter fiscal 2027 results on Oct. 6, before the opening bell, with the Zacks Consensus Estimate for adjusted earnings per share at $1.95, down slightly from $1.96 over the past 30 days but still indicating 3.7% growth from the year-ago figure of $1.88. The consensus mark for net sales stands at $2.22 billion, implying 4.9% year-over-year growth, while the company expects consolidated sales to rise in the mid-single-digit range, with each of its Construction Products Group, Performance Coatings Group and Consumer Group segments also expected to grow in the mid-single-digit range. RPM expects previously announced SG&A reductions to generate $25 million in benefits in the quarter, partly offset by higher health care and benefit expenses, and it anticipates 5-6% raw material inflation with pricing increases already implemented to offset that inflation on a dollar basis. Consolidated adjusted EBITDA is expected to increase year over year in the mid-single-digit range, though a temporary supplier issue affecting propylene oxide-derived raw materials is expected to weigh somewhat on first-quarter sales growth. The company's earnings ESP is -1.64% and it carries a Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell), so the model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat.
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Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Coatings, Adhesives & Sealants Pricing
RPM · Capital · Positive RPM is set to report Q1 fiscal 2027 results with consensus EPS of $1.95 (3.7% growth) and net sales of $2.22B (4.9% growth), plus mid-single-digit adjusted EBITDA growth.
RPM · Supply · Negative A temporary supplier issue affecting propylene oxide-derived raw materials is expected to weigh somewhat on first-quarter sales growth.
France▲impact 4
Air Liquide Unveils BEYOND 2030 Plan, First €4 Billion Buyback
Air Liquide unveiled a new strategic plan through 2030 on Monday, targeting annual growth in recurring net earnings per share of about 10% and launching its first-ever share buyback program, worth €4 billion over 2027-2028. The plan, named BEYOND, aims for compound annual growth of 10%, plus or minus 2 percentage points, in recurring net EPS from the end of 2025 to the end of 2030, along with recurring return on capital employed above 11% in 2030. The French industrial gases group expects sales to grow at a compound annual rate of 5%, plus or minus 1 point, outpacing industrial production by a factor of two to three, and targets a cumulative operating margin improvement of 400 to 600 basis points over 2026-2030. Capital allocation of more than €40 billion over the period will cover investments, acquisitions, dividends and buybacks, with more than half going toward industrial investments and acquisitions and about €24 billion in industrial investment decisions planned. Air Liquide named four priority markets — electronics and artificial intelligence, energy transition, healthcare and space — and said it expects electronics sales to grow at a weighted average annual rate above 10% over 2026-2030. CEO François Jackow said the group's profitability now allows it to go beyond reinvestment, including through the buyback and annual employee share purchase plans, and the company reaffirmed a 33% cut in Scope 1 and 2 carbon dioxide emissions by 2035 from 2020 levels and carbon neutrality by 2050.
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Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Electronic & Specialty Gases ▲Capital
Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Industrial Gases ▲Capital
Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Specialty Chemicals & Industrial Gases ▲Capital
AI.PA · Capital · Positive Air Liquide unveiled BEYOND 2030 plan targeting ~10% annual recurring EPS growth and its first-ever €4 billion buyback over 2027-2028.
AI.PA · Demand · Positive Plan names four priority markets and expects electronics sales to grow at a weighted average annual rate above 10% over 2026-2030.
Netherlands
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Indonesia
Malaysia
Thailand
Singapore
Papua New Guinea+44
AkzoNobel to Sell Southeast Asia Decorative Paints Unit to Nippon Paint for $1.35 Billion
AkzoNobel said on Monday it has agreed to sell its Southeast Asian decorative paints business to Nippon Paint for $1.35 billion, concluding its strategic review of its Asian decorative paints portfolio. The sale covers decorative paints operations in Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, and Australia, the Dutch paints maker said, adding that it expects net cash proceeds of about $1 billion after tax and payments to minority partners. The Dulux paintmaker earlier divested its decorative paints operations in India and Pakistan for $1.6 billion and 50 million euros, respectively. The Indonesia deal is expected to close separately in late 2026, while the remaining transactions are expected to close around mid-2027. AkzoNobel said it will now focus on the successful closing of its merger with US coatings maker Axalta, which was announced last November.
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Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Coatings, Adhesives & Sealants Competition
4612.JP · Capital · Positive Nippon Paint agrees to acquire AkzoNobel's Southeast Asia decorative paints business for $1.35 billion, expanding its portfolio.
AKZA.AS · Capital · Positive AkzoNobel agrees to sell its Southeast Asian decorative paints unit for $1.35 billion, yielding ~$1 billion net cash and concluding its strategic review.
China▼
Phichem's controlling shareholder and concert parties cash out about 200 million yuan by reducing 5.68 million shares and terminate the reduction plan early
Phichem announced on September 30 that its board of directors had received a notification letter from the controlling shareholder Phichem Holdings and its concert party Zhang Yanxia. As of the disclosure date, the two had cumulatively reduced their holdings in the company by 5,680,075 shares and decided to terminate this share reduction plan ahead of schedule. Shares not yet sold under the plan will no longer be reduced within the remaining period. Based on the average reduction price disclosed in the announcement, the shareholders cashed out approximately 200 million yuan in total from this reduction. The company had pre-disclosed the reduction plan on June 10, 2026. Phichem Holdings and Zhang Yanxia originally planned to reduce their combined holdings by no more than 5,669,464 shares within three months starting 15 trading days after the pre-disclosure announcement, through block trades or centralized bidding, representing no more than 1.00 percent of total share capital. Because the registration of shares vested under the first归属 period of the 2025 restricted stock incentive plan was completed in June 2026, total share capital increased from 566,946,450 shares to 570,033,250 shares, and the planned reduction amount was correspondingly adjusted to no more than 5,700,332 shares, with the proportion of total share capital unchanged. On the same day, the board also received a notification letter from Phichem Holdings and its concert parties Zhang Justin Jicheng, Zhang Alan Jian, Zhang Yanxia, and Xia Shifeng stating that their equity change had reached 1 percent. From May 20, 2025 to September 29, 2026, the combined shareholding ratio of the above shareholders decreased from 22.00 percent to 20.79 percent. Phichem is mainly engaged in the research, development, production, and sales of electronic chemical materials. Its 2026 semi-annual report showed that during the reporting period it achieved total operating revenue of 1.722 billion yuan, up 17.79 percent year on year; net profit attributable to the parent company was 267 million yuan, up 23.20 percent year on year; non-GAAP net profit was 260 million yuan, up 47.19 percent year on year; and net cash flow from operating activities was 478 million yuan, up 101.81 percent year on year.
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Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Electronic & Semiconductor Materials ▼Capital
Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Process Chemicals & Photoresist Capital
300398.CS · Capital · Negative Controlling shareholder and concert parties sold 5.68 million shares for about 200 million yuan, reducing their stake from 22.00% to 20.79%.
South Africa
United KingdomUnited StatesValterra Platinum Fair Value Raised to ZAR 1,373.14 as Analysts Split
Simply Wall St's updated fair value estimate for Valterra Platinum has moved from ZAR 1,344.81 to ZAR 1,373.14, with the revision accompanied by split analyst commentary on the stock. On the bullish side, Berenberg keeps a Buy rating with a 7,500 GBp price target, RBC Capital maintains an Outperform rating with a 7,200 GBp target, and Jefferies starts coverage with a Hold rating and a ZAR 1,250 target, citing expectations for improving fundamentals and higher EBITDA while waiting for a better entry point. On the bearish side, Barclays cuts Valterra Platinum to Underweight from Equal Weight with a ZAR 1,260 target, pointing to valuation and limited upside to current volume guidance, while JPMorgan keeps an Underweight rating even after lifting its target to US$67. The model update also shows the projected ZAR revenue decline moderating from 4.92% to about 4.13%, the expected net profit margin easing from 20.56% to about 19.70%, the future P/E multiple shifting from 21.4x to about 22.4x, and the discount rate edging higher from 18.73% to about 18.84%.
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Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Platinum Group Metals (PGM) Capital
Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Precious Metals Capital
Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Catalysts, Additives & Performance Chemicals Capital
VALT.LSE · Capital · Neutral Analysts are split on Valterra Platinum as its fair value estimate was raised to ZAR 1,373.14 amid mixed ratings and targets.
BARC.LSE · Capital · Neutral Barclays cuts Valterra Platinum to Underweight from Equal Weight with a ZAR 1,260 target.
JEF · Capital · Neutral Jefferies starts coverage on Valterra Platinum with a Hold rating and ZAR 1,250 target, an analyst action on the stock.
JPM · Capital · Neutral JPMorgan keeps an Underweight rating on Valterra Platinum while lifting its target to US$67.
RY · Capital · Neutral RBC Capital maintains an Outperform rating with a 7,200 GBp target on Valterra Platinum.
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Thermoplastic Polyimide Market to Reach USD 0.86 Billion by 2032, MarketsandMarkets Says
The global Thermoplastic Polyimide market is projected to grow from USD 0.56 billion in 2026 to USD 0.86 billion by 2032, registering a CAGR of 7.4% during 2026–2032, according to MarketsandMarkets. Asia Pacific accounted for 35% of the global market in 2025 and is projected to register the highest CAGR of 8.3% during 2026–2032, supported by advanced-material manufacturing in Japan, China, South Korea, India, and Malaysia. Within the market, resin held the largest share by form and is projected to remain the leading form through 2032, while unfilled thermoplastic polyimide held the largest share by product type. Electrical & Electronics accounted for the largest share by end-use industry and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.3% through 2032, driven by demand for miniaturized, high-performance components and advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Key players cited include Mitsui Chemicals, SABIC, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical, Solver Polyimide, Huntsman, Jiangsu Junhua HPP, Changzhou Sunchem New Material, Wanhua Chemical, Arakawa Chemical Industries, Arkema, Evonik, and Kingfa Sci. & Tech.
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Critical Materials & Supply Chain › Electronic & Semiconductor Materials ▲Demand