Epoxy
August 24, 2022
Propylene Oxide Implications
OLIN ANNOUNCES CHLOR ALKALI CAPACITY REDUCTION
Aug. 24, 2022 4:05 PM ETOlin Corporation (OLN)
CLAYTON, Mo., Aug. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Olin Corporation (OLN) announced today that it plans to permanently shut down approximately 225,000 ECU tons of diaphragm-grade chlor alkali capacity at its Freeport, TX facility. The closure is expected to be completed by year end 2022.
“Including this closure, Olin will have rationalized over one million ECU tons of diaphragm-grade chlor alkali capacity in less than two years,” remarked Scott Sutton, Olin Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer. “These actions demonstrate our commitment to lift and maintain our ECU values, while developing a more sustainable asset configuration.”
COMPANY DESCRIPTION
Olin Corporation is a leading vertically-integrated global manufacturer and distributor of chemical products and a leading U.S. manufacturer of ammunition. The chemical products produced include chlorine and caustic soda, vinyls, epoxies, chlorinated organics, bleach, hydrogen, and hydrochloric acid. Winchester’s principal manufacturing facilities produce and distribute sporting ammunition, law enforcement ammunition, reloading components, small caliber military ammunition and components, and industrial cartridges.
Visit www.olin.com for more information on Olin.
August 24, 2022
Propylene Oxide Implications
OLIN ANNOUNCES CHLOR ALKALI CAPACITY REDUCTION
Aug. 24, 2022 4:05 PM ETOlin Corporation (OLN)
CLAYTON, Mo., Aug. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Olin Corporation (OLN) announced today that it plans to permanently shut down approximately 225,000 ECU tons of diaphragm-grade chlor alkali capacity at its Freeport, TX facility. The closure is expected to be completed by year end 2022.
“Including this closure, Olin will have rationalized over one million ECU tons of diaphragm-grade chlor alkali capacity in less than two years,” remarked Scott Sutton, Olin Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer. “These actions demonstrate our commitment to lift and maintain our ECU values, while developing a more sustainable asset configuration.”
COMPANY DESCRIPTION
Olin Corporation is a leading vertically-integrated global manufacturer and distributor of chemical products and a leading U.S. manufacturer of ammunition. The chemical products produced include chlorine and caustic soda, vinyls, epoxies, chlorinated organics, bleach, hydrogen, and hydrochloric acid. Winchester’s principal manufacturing facilities produce and distribute sporting ammunition, law enforcement ammunition, reloading components, small caliber military ammunition and components, and industrial cartridges.
Visit www.olin.com for more information on Olin.
August 19, 2022
Housing Viewpoint
Housing hurts: Stocks look past dismal data
August 19, 2022
By Lindsey Bell, chief markets & money strategist for Ally
Housing data has been depressing.
When talk of a recession comes up, housing weakness is a typical justification as to why we are in a recession. But what if bad news is good news? Hear me out.
In general, stocks “price in” bad news early and they tend to rebound before the worst shows up in the economic data. Stocks are forward looking, and economic data is mostly backward looking. Lately, the stock market has been effectively absorbing weak economic data. Housing-related data has accounted for a lot of that data, but not all of it. Could it be that the market is beginning to bet on the economy bottoming soon (if not already), and quickly moving past all this negative news?
Let’s look at the housing market for clues.
The bad news first
Brace yourself, this isn’t pretty. You don’t have to look far to see a bleak housing picture. New and existing home sales have fallen dramatically. This week we learned July existing homes sales declines are picking up steam, with July marking the 12th consecutive month of decline. Not surprisingly, homebuilder sentiment plunged into contraction territory for the month of August, which was the first reading under the key 50 level since the onset of COVID.
That’s not all. Housing starts, a key indicator of economic activity, declined nearly 10% in July. Meanwhile, more prospective home buyers are backing out of deals. Data from Redfin show 16% of homes that went under contract last month fell through, up from just 12.5% in July last year. Why are folks pulling out of deals? It’s not employment concerns, as the jobs market remains robust. It’s likely an affordability issue as home prices and borrowing costs rise together. The National Association of Realtors confirmed what so many would-be first-time buyers feel: Affordability is at the lowest level since June 1989.
What’s moving in the right direction
I told you that was going to be depressing. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about glimmers of hope underneath the surface. Inventory of existing homes for sale has been rising, and at 3.3 months’ supply its the highest level since August 2020. Granted, there is still much work to be done as that level is still below the 6 months of supply that is historically considered balanced for the housing market. Home prices are starting to moderate from the double digit increases that became the norm in the post-pandemic world. Over time, more houses on the market at lower prices will spur demand.
Another silver lining in the housing market is commodity prices easing: The price of lumber is down 65% from its pandemic high. As the input costs decline, it becomes cheaper to build a house. Another positive trend lately has been moderation and stabilization in the mortgage rate market. After surging above 6% in June, the average rate for a conventional 30-year mortgage has settled into the 5% to 5.5% range for now. Maybe the market is realizing that under any scenario (a hard landing, soft landing, or something in between) peak rates may be in. These types of trends are important to improve the affordability constraint on many looking for a home.
Finding strength in housing stocks
Despite what feels like a long road ahead for the housing market, price action in housing-related stocks is telling a more upbeat story. Since mid-June, the S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) has gained 30%, well above the 17% gain in the S&P 500 over the same time period.
The pop in the homebuilders ETF follows a 40% plunge between December and its June low. Over that period, investors priced in a severe slowdown in housing activity before much of the negative economic data was even seen.
To be sure, many of the homebuilders expect demand for new homes to cool in the coming months, driven by interest rates and inflationary pressures. Despite this outlook, the stocks reacted well to recent earnings reports. And while their price-to-earnings ratio has begun to lift off depressed levels, their valuations remain cheap by historical standards.
Looking beyond the homebuilders, shares of home improvement retailers Home Depot and Lowe’s have also performed better than the broad market during the summer rally. This week both companies provided guidance that were better than feared and suggested demand for home projects is improving.
While none of these housing focused companies signaled an all-clear signal, investors seem to be focused on the possibility of better times ahead for housing.
The bottom line
The housing market needs to cool off. There are indications that is happening, and it’s not crushing the economy. I see the sharp rally in homebuilder stocks as a sign that the worst could be in the rearview mirror for investors and recent economic gauges point to some normalization occurring over time.
August 19, 2022
Housing Viewpoint
Housing hurts: Stocks look past dismal data
August 19, 2022
By Lindsey Bell, chief markets & money strategist for Ally
Housing data has been depressing.
When talk of a recession comes up, housing weakness is a typical justification as to why we are in a recession. But what if bad news is good news? Hear me out.
In general, stocks “price in” bad news early and they tend to rebound before the worst shows up in the economic data. Stocks are forward looking, and economic data is mostly backward looking. Lately, the stock market has been effectively absorbing weak economic data. Housing-related data has accounted for a lot of that data, but not all of it. Could it be that the market is beginning to bet on the economy bottoming soon (if not already), and quickly moving past all this negative news?
Let’s look at the housing market for clues.
The bad news first
Brace yourself, this isn’t pretty. You don’t have to look far to see a bleak housing picture. New and existing home sales have fallen dramatically. This week we learned July existing homes sales declines are picking up steam, with July marking the 12th consecutive month of decline. Not surprisingly, homebuilder sentiment plunged into contraction territory for the month of August, which was the first reading under the key 50 level since the onset of COVID.
That’s not all. Housing starts, a key indicator of economic activity, declined nearly 10% in July. Meanwhile, more prospective home buyers are backing out of deals. Data from Redfin show 16% of homes that went under contract last month fell through, up from just 12.5% in July last year. Why are folks pulling out of deals? It’s not employment concerns, as the jobs market remains robust. It’s likely an affordability issue as home prices and borrowing costs rise together. The National Association of Realtors confirmed what so many would-be first-time buyers feel: Affordability is at the lowest level since June 1989.
What’s moving in the right direction
I told you that was going to be depressing. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about glimmers of hope underneath the surface. Inventory of existing homes for sale has been rising, and at 3.3 months’ supply its the highest level since August 2020. Granted, there is still much work to be done as that level is still below the 6 months of supply that is historically considered balanced for the housing market. Home prices are starting to moderate from the double digit increases that became the norm in the post-pandemic world. Over time, more houses on the market at lower prices will spur demand.
Another silver lining in the housing market is commodity prices easing: The price of lumber is down 65% from its pandemic high. As the input costs decline, it becomes cheaper to build a house. Another positive trend lately has been moderation and stabilization in the mortgage rate market. After surging above 6% in June, the average rate for a conventional 30-year mortgage has settled into the 5% to 5.5% range for now. Maybe the market is realizing that under any scenario (a hard landing, soft landing, or something in between) peak rates may be in. These types of trends are important to improve the affordability constraint on many looking for a home.
Finding strength in housing stocks
Despite what feels like a long road ahead for the housing market, price action in housing-related stocks is telling a more upbeat story. Since mid-June, the S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) has gained 30%, well above the 17% gain in the S&P 500 over the same time period.
The pop in the homebuilders ETF follows a 40% plunge between December and its June low. Over that period, investors priced in a severe slowdown in housing activity before much of the negative economic data was even seen.
To be sure, many of the homebuilders expect demand for new homes to cool in the coming months, driven by interest rates and inflationary pressures. Despite this outlook, the stocks reacted well to recent earnings reports. And while their price-to-earnings ratio has begun to lift off depressed levels, their valuations remain cheap by historical standards.
Looking beyond the homebuilders, shares of home improvement retailers Home Depot and Lowe’s have also performed better than the broad market during the summer rally. This week both companies provided guidance that were better than feared and suggested demand for home projects is improving.
While none of these housing focused companies signaled an all-clear signal, investors seem to be focused on the possibility of better times ahead for housing.
The bottom line
The housing market needs to cool off. There are indications that is happening, and it’s not crushing the economy. I see the sharp rally in homebuilder stocks as a sign that the worst could be in the rearview mirror for investors and recent economic gauges point to some normalization occurring over time.
August 16, 2022
Arsenal Closes on Two New Funds
Arsenal Capital Partners Announces Final Closes of Two New Funds Totaling $5.4 Billion Fund VI Closes with $4.3 Billion and Surpasses $3.0 Billion Target Inaugural Growth Fund Closes at its Hard Cap with $1.1 Billion and Surpasses $750 Million Target
New York, August 15, 2022 – Arsenal Capital Partners (“Arsenal”), a leading private equity firm that specializes in investments in industrial growth and healthcare companies, announced today that it has completed fundraising for two new funds, totaling $5.4 billion in capital commitments. Arsenal Capital Partners VI LP (together with its parallel funds, “Fund VI”) closed with $4.3 billion in capital commitments, well exceeding its $3.0 billion target of limited partner commitments and well above the size of its $2.4 billion predecessor fund. In addition, Arsenal Capital Partners Growth LP (together with its parallel funds, the “Growth Fund”) closed with $1.1 billion in capital commitments at its hard cap and exceeded its $750 million target of limited partner commitments.
“We are extremely grateful for the support from and relationships with our long-time investors,“ said Terry Mullen, Managing Partner of Arsenal. “We achieved a gratifying, high re-up rate from our existing institutional investors, who on average increased their commitments by 59% from the previous fund, and we are delighted to have attracted an exceptional group of new investors that will further bolster our market-leading institution.”
Over its 22-year history, Arsenal has built a leading private equity institution with two market-leading franchises in the industrials and healthcare sectors. Within its two focus sectors, Arsenal aims to create highly valuable, technology- and innovation-rich, growth companies that are strategically important to their markets. Arsenal’s team of more than 85 professionals and 55 senior advisors combines specialized investment, industry, and operating expertise into one integrated and balanced team to provide differentiated strategic insights, combine diverse perspectives, and leverage expert capabilities.
“The success of these fundraises reflects the strength of our market-leading franchises and our track record of building strategically valuable businesses. We and our investors see exciting opportunities to invest in technology- and innovation-rich companies in the industrial and healthcare sectors,” commented Jeff Kovach, Managing Partner of Arsenal. “Moreover, investors have acknowledged the depth of our domain and technical expertise that provides Arsenal the access, relevance, and credibility to compete and win in our target markets.”
Fund VI will focus on investments in industrials and healthcare businesses with proven technologies and solutions positioned to deliver high performance and value-add to their customers. The Growth Fund will execute a similar strategy in the same markets but pursue investments in next generation, emerging technology businesses poised to apply innovation to generate very high growth. In both of these funds, Arsenal will apply its high-impact company building capabilities to help businesses achieve significant organic growth and facilitate strategic acquisitions to extend their offerings and to solidify leadership positions in their respective markets.
Patricia Grad, Partner and Head of Investor Relations of Arsenal, added, “We are grateful for this global group of institutions and individuals who have supported our firm and greatly appreciate the collaborative dialogue that we had with them as we crafted these investment opportunities, particularly our debut Growth Fund. We look forward to deepening and strengthening our partnerships with our investors for years to come.”
Fund VI and the Growth Fund’s investor base is comprised of leading public and corporate pension plans, family offices, endowments and foundations, and financial institutions, including The University of California’s Office of the Chief Investment Officer (UC Investments), California State Teachers’ Retirement System, California Public Employees’ Retirement Systems, affiliates of APG Asset Management, The Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund, affiliates of IIP A/S, and Minnesota State Investment Board. Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel for Arsenal, Fund VI, and the Growth Fund.
About Arsenal Capital Partners Arsenal Capital Partners is a leading private equity firm that specializes in investments in industrial growth and healthcare companies. Since its inception in 2000, Arsenal has raised institutional equity investment funds totaling over $10 billion, completed more than 250 platform and add-on acquisitions, and achieved more than 30 realizations. The firm works with management teams to build strategically important companies with leading market positions, high growth, and high value-add. For additional information, please visit www.arsenalcapital.com.
Contact: Jackie Schofield at Prosek Partners Pro-Arsenal@prosek.com
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