The titanium dioxide (TiO2) and feedstocks industry remained buoyant throughout 2011. It was a year of highs for producers, which saw their stock quadruple in value in some cases. This affected paint producers, which started to look at producing feedstock minerals internally.
Prices
Cristal raised prices at the start of the year as supply outstripped demand. The company went on to raise its prices for TiO2 in September and November on the back of tight supply forecasts. Cristal was not alone: Kronos, DuPont, Huntsman and Tronox also all announced price raises at roughly the same time throughout the year.
Feedstock prices also rose as TiO2 demand increased. Rutile...