With shale production leading to a massive boom in oil and natural gas liquids in the U.S. recently, the prices, particularly those of NGL, have reached record lows this past year. And because chemical companies such as Westlake (WLK 5.61%) and LyondellBasell (LYB 3.84%) use ethane as a feedstock for the production of ethylene and ethylene-related products, such as many plastics, low ethane prices mean incredible margins for these companies compared to their international counterparts. But is this trend expected to continue in 2013? In this video, Motley Fool energy analyst Taylor Muckerman tells us who is benefiting and how long it's expected to last.
Will This Chemical Trend Continue in 2013?
By Taylor Muckerman and Joel South – Jan 2, 2013 at 3:45PM
NYSE: WLK
Westlake
Market Cap
$7.6B
Today's Change
(-5.61%) $3.51
Current Price
$59.05
Price as of November 17, 2025 at 4:00 PM ET
These are the real winners from the rock-bottom natural gas liquids prices last year. But will the trend continue?
About the Author
Taylor Muckerman was lead energy & materials analyst for fool.com from 2012-2013. He is now Head of Retention for Motley Fool Canada.