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Dear ?NAME?,      Offshore Services & Equipment   Offshore exploration continues to breach new frontiers, driven by new finds,  technology and surging energy demand in China and other growth economies.  Opportunities abound for equipment and services vendors able to meet the sector's  exacting demands. Find out where the opportunities lie.  In the news this week  l 23-Nov-07 Korean petrochemical industry remains bullish

The expansion of investment in Korea's petrochemical industry by the private sector has led to a trade surplus in the chemicals industry this year, making petrochemicals the third largest contributor to Korean exports after semiconductors and automobiles. While exports have increased 24% annually on average for the last five years, the petrochemical industry's high dependence on raw materials from foreign sources could restrain growth. Outright naphtha prices have soared by more than US$100 a ton from October 2007. Fortunately, naphtha's gains this year have been matched or outpaced by end-user demand for plastic bags, bottles, and toys - all products derived from petrochemicals. In Korea, the dominance of chemical-intensive industries such as automotive, information and technology products, and electronics goods in the Korean manufacturing sector have also helped the petrochemical sector. Click here to view this week's articles for all industries.    What you don't know can hurt you  Receive all the key news on your markets, industry and competitors each  week, with alerts for important breaking news, and avoid information  overload with human filtering. Find out more about our Market Monitoring   Service and web-based Intelligence Plaza system by emailing   marketing@fusionc.com.

Chemical China - Kansai Paint to make eco-friendly car paint Korea - Petrochemicals industry feared to slump Malaysia - KLK plans to buy Chinese chemical maker

Consumer & retail China - Aussino enters into joint venture with Hardy Amies India - Carrefour to finalise local retail partner New Zealand - Retail sales slow

Financial services Asia - Chinese banks look to invest in Standard Chartered India - Hero in talks with US firm for insurance foray Vietnam - Largest card systems to be connected

Industrial & logistics India - Indian firms ready fleets for logistics takeoff Indonesia - Pandu Siwi sells 40% stake to Emirates Post Japan - Chip equipment orders down 23% in October 2007

Information & communication technology   China - Fixed line telecom operators to get mobile licences Japan - PC market is shrinking Taiwan - Flat-panel displays enjoy a 23% boost in quarterly output

Life science China - China designates 10 basic medicine makers Japan - Olympus to buy British medical equipment maker Singapore - Hill-Rom to open innovation centre

Media & leisure Asia - Anime on the go in Hong Kong, Taiwan China - Merger forms biggest media content provider India - India to up cable TV foreign investment cap

Previous issues

Korea braces for integration of its financial markets [16-Nov-07] Japan's beer makers seek diversification [26-Oct-07] Indian telecom operators and broadcasters fight it out in IPTV space [19-Oct-07] Low cos PCs take off, but fully-fledged PCs unflustered [12-Oct-07] Insurance firms chase growth in Asia [5-Oct-07] Indian luxury market booming; but lacks premium retail space [28-Sep-07]

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Best regards, The Intelligence Desk Team Fusion Consulting