Global Editor, Base Oil News

Iain Pocock

Global Editor

Global Base Oils and Lubricants Markets

Base Oil News

Base Oil News focuses on the interplay between fundamentals and prices in the global base oils and lubricants markets.

Baseoilnews.com combines daily, weekly and monthly base oils and lubes fundamentals data from every region of the world to build the most comprehensive and up-to-date global picture of the state of the market.

The data and analysis provide key tools to understand current market developments and opportunities and to anticipate how the market is likely to behave in the coming months.

Base oils producers, lube blenders and consumers can then better plan accordingly.

Baseoilnews.com analyses and publishes market news and data every day as it breaks.

Commodities

Base oil is the main component in the production of lubricants including greases, motor oil and processing fluids. They constitute around 90 percent in lubricants. The American Petroleum Institute (API) has categorized base oils into five categories. Group I, II and III are refined from crude.

<ul><li>US domestic Group I brightstock price outperforms lighter grades and Group II prices.</li><li>US export brightstock prices significantly lag brightstock prices in Europe and Asia.</li><li>Widening price-discount reflects signs of increasingly diverging supply-demand fundamentals between US and Europe and Asia.</li></ul>

US domestic Group I brightstock price outperforms lighter grades and Group II prices.US export brightstock prices significantly lag brightstock prices in Europe and Asia.Widening price-discount reflects signs of increasingly diverging supply-demand fundamentals between US and Europe and Asia.

Global base oils arb outlook: Week of 28 April

Korea / Special Sits, Pairs, Index Rebalancing, Clepsydra Capital

Sanghyun Park

Korea / Special Sits, Pairs, Index Rebalancing

Clepsydra Capital

Investigate special situations, pairs, and index rebalancing trades in Korea.

Equity Capital Markets

SK Innovation Co., Ltd. refines, markets, and distributes oil.  The Company produces a variety of petroleum products, such as gasoline, kerosene, liquefied petroleumgas (LPG), and diesel oil.  SK Energy also manufactures petrochemical p roducts, including paraxylene, synthetic resins, styrene monomer, and ethylene.

<ul>
<li>KRX’s move on SK Enmove this morning ramps up the odds of an SKI rights issue.</li>
<li>Timing’s again the key — unlike POSCO Future M, this isn’t a clean setup. Word is SK may wait for H2 rate cuts and a more risk-on market backdrop.</li>
<li>So, doesn’t look near-term — likely post-June once local tape firms up. Watch quirky local hot money flows that front-run moves like this.</li>
</ul>


KRX’s move on SK Enmove this morning ramps up the odds of an SKI rights issue.
Timing’s again the key — unlike POSCO Future M, this isn’t a clean setup. Word is SK may wait for H2 rate cuts and a more risk-on market backdrop.
So, doesn’t look near-term — likely post-June once local tape firms up. Watch quirky local hot money flows that front-run moves like this.


Explaining the Whole SK Enmove IPO Delay Situation This Morning: SK Innovation Rights Issue Likely

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs, Douglas Research Advisory

Douglas Kim

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs

Douglas Research Advisory

Hanwha Aerospace / Equity Capital Markets

Hanwha Aerospace Co., Ltd. operates as an aircraft parts manufacturing company. The Company produces and sells aircraft gas turbine engine products, aircraft compressors, low pressure turbines, and other products. Hanwha Aerospace markets its products worldwide.

<ul>
<li>On 8 April, Hanwha Aerospace (012450 KS) announced that it plans to lower its rights offering capital raise amount from 3.6 trillion won to 2.3 trillion won (US$1.6 billion).</li>
<li>The remaining 1.3 trillion won will be secured through a third-party allocation paid-in capital increase targeting three companies, including Hanwha Energy, Hanwha Impact Partners, and Hanwha Energy Singapore. </li>
<li>Hanwha Aerospace disclosed today that it expects sales of 30 trillion won (58% higher than consensus) and operating profit of 3 trillion won (20% higher than consensus) in 2025.</li>
</ul>


On 8 April, Hanwha Aerospace (012450 KS) announced that it plans to lower its rights offering capital raise amount from 3.6 trillion won to 2.3 trillion won (US$1.6 billion).
The remaining 1.3 trillion won will be secured through a third-party allocation paid-in capital increase targeting three companies, including Hanwha Energy, Hanwha Impact Partners, and Hanwha Energy Singapore. 
Hanwha Aerospace disclosed today that it expects sales of 30 trillion won (58% higher than consensus) and operating profit of 3 trillion won (20% higher than consensus) in 2025.


Hanwha Aerospace - Lowers Rights Offering Capital Raise Amount To 2.3 Trillion Won

Posco Future M Co., Ltd. manufactures and distributes energy materials. The Company produces battery materials, advanced chemical materials, basic industrial materials, and other related products. Posco Future M also produces lime chemical and refractory products.

<ul>
<li>All three local CRAs are pushing hard — an equity raise isn’t optional, it’s the only shot at keeping the AA- rating intact. Street says it’s not if, it’s when.</li>
<li>Late April to mid-May looks like the key window. And start keeping tabs on the flow real tight.</li>
<li>Leak channels are still active. FSC’s pointed at IB sales and law firm staff. If we see outsized sell prints—especially from local hedge funds, that's our cue to act.</li>
</ul>


All three local CRAs are pushing hard — an equity raise isn’t optional, it’s the only shot at keeping the AA- rating intact. Street says it’s not if, it’s when.
Late April to mid-May looks like the key window. And start keeping tabs on the flow real tight.
Leak channels are still active. FSC’s pointed at IB sales and law firm staff. If we see outsized sell prints—especially from local hedge funds, that's our cue to act.


Timing the Announcement of POSCO Future M's Rights Issue

Samsung SDI Co., Ltd. specializes in developing Lithium Ion Battery (LIB) technology.  The Company also manufactures cathode ray tubes (CRTs) for televisions and computer monitors.  Samsung SDI also produces liquid crystal display (LCD) components and rechargeable batteries for cellular phones , personal digital assistants (PDAs), Energy Storage Systems and solar panels.

<ul>
<li>Not much juice at ex-rights — price move’s small, and shorting’s risky with recall risk and having to compensate the lender for lost rights.</li>
<li>Some locals chase rights instead, but it’s not really a go-to trade with all the cost/efficiency uncertainty.</li>
<li>First round price pre–ex-rights sets the floor for arb margins and anchors rights pricing once they start trading — key level to keep in the playbook.</li>
</ul>


Not much juice at ex-rights — price move’s small, and shorting’s risky with recall risk and having to compensate the lender for lost rights.
Some locals chase rights instead, but it’s not really a go-to trade with all the cost/efficiency uncertainty.
First round price pre–ex-rights sets the floor for arb margins and anchors rights pricing once they start trading — key level to keep in the playbook.


Clearing Up the Confusion: Ex-Rights Trading in Korean Rights Offerings

Rights Issues
Corporate rights issuance analysis

Global base oils arb outlook: Week of 28 April

US domestic Group I brightstock price outperforms lighter grades and Group II prices. US export brightstock prices significantly lag brightstock...

Base Oil News

Explaining the Whole SK Enmove IPO Delay Situation This Morning: SK Innovation Rights Issue Likely

This post explains the whole SK Enmove IPO delay situation (by KRX) this morning and why it raises the chances of an SK Innovation rights issue.

Sanghyun Park

Hanwha Aerospace - Lowers Rights Offering Capital Raise Amount To 2.3 Trillion Won

The FSS has requested a correction report once again on Hanwha Aerospace's paid in securities report. FSS has requested that Hanwha Aerospace ...

Douglas Kim

Timing the Announcement of POSCO Future M's Rights Issue

This post covers how to time the drop on POSCO Future M’s rights issue. This post dives into the best windows to watch, key indicators to track,...

Sanghyun Park

Clearing Up the Confusion: Ex-Rights Trading in Korean Rights Offerings

Korea’s rights offerings differ from global norms, causing noise in arb trading. Using the recent Samsung SDI deal as a case study, I’ll focus on...

Sanghyun Park