Stimulus Spending: Where's the Opportunity for Paints & Coatings? Part 2

In the first quarters of 2009, major paint and chemical companies reported significant declines in both revenues and profits due to the global economic downturn. U.S. Federal Stimulus spending will offset these general losses in demand in the U.S., however, the Federal bill is complex so it is not easy to distill specific business opportunities.

Last month Chemark Consulting's "Fast Track Solutions Team" analyzed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and provided an industry overview of the relevant business opportunities. The result of this Federal Stimulus Spending Bill will be increased demand for architectural/high performance and OEM paints/coatings, adhesives, sealants, composites and their raw material ingredients.

In fact, Goldman Sachs has now raised the specialty chemicals sector from neutral to attractive, projecting that the industry hit its low in March 2009. Key chemical and paint companies that will benefit from increased stimulus spending have now been added to their buy list.

Last month we discussed the deployment, through April 24th, of funds under the stimulus plan. At that time we observed that we w