The Specialty Chemicals Market Volume Index, a tool created by the American Chemistry Council, fell in January, dropping 0.5 percent on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis after a 0.1 percent decline in December.
Despite facing global headwinds, American chemistry expanded at a healthy 2.0 percent growth rate in 2014, and is expected to reach a 3.7 percent gain in output in 2015, before hitting 3.9 percent in 2016, according to the Year End 2014 Chemical Industry Situation and Outlook, published by the American Chemistry Council (ACC). The report's consensus is that U.S. chemical output will continue to expand well into the second half of the decade, exceeding that of the overall U.S. economy.