After battling strong headwinds in 2013, chemical stocks have begun to bounce back this year driven in large part by the surging shale energy boom and a booming North American market. While any downturn in the economy could weigh on this cyclical sector, market dynamics and management strategies look poised to reward investors with performance gains and respectable dividend yields.

Boeing and Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) have opened a demonstration facility that will turn waste cooking oil, commonly referred to as "gutter oil" in China, into sustainable aviation biofuel. The two companies estimate that 500 million gallons (1.8 billion liters) of biofuel could be made annually in China from used cooking oil.