Insights and Stories of Swetha Gopinath

Dec. 11, 2015 at 9:26 am CST

Reuters — Chemical giants DuPont and Dow Chemical agreed to merge in an all-stock deal valuing the combined company at US$130 billion in a win for activist investors that could spark further consolidation in the farm chemicals industry. The deal to combine two of the biggest and oldest U.S. chemical […]

By Swetha Gopinath

Dec. 9, 2015 at 10:31 am CST

Reuters — Merger talks between Dow Chemical and DuPont are likely to have been precipitated by shareholder pressure and weakening demand for crop-protection chemicals, and such a deal would have been unlikely even a few months ago. Stocks of both companies jumped 12 per cent on Wednesday — Dow’s to […]

By Sneha Banerjee, Swetha Gopinath

Oct. 27, 2015 at 6:33 pm CDT

Reuters — DuPont is talking to rivals about its agriculture business, interim CEO Edward Breen said Tuesday, less than a week after Dow Chemical announced a review of its farm chemicals and seeds unit. Falling crop prices and rising fertilizer output have triggered talk of consolidation among farm-focused companies. DuPont […]

By Sneha Banerjee, Swetha Gopinath

Oct. 22, 2015 at 3:36 pm CDT

Reuters — Dow Chemical said it would “review all options” for its farm chemicals and seeds unit, which has reported falling sales for nearly a year, and suggested that it might buy Corning’s stake in a silicon joint venture. Dow is also selling its stake in a Kuwaiti JV that […]

By Sneha Banerjee, Swetha Gopinath

Oct. 23, 2014 at 7:09 pm CDT

Reuters — Saskatchewan-based PotashCorp has narrowed its full-year earnings forecast range and reported a lower-than-expected quarterly profit as income fell from its overseas investments. The price of potash has plunged year over year, triggered by the breakup last year of trading partnership Belarusian Potash Co. that created more competition among […]

By Rod Nickel, Swetha Gopinath