BASF Launches Key Steam Cracker at New Zhanjiang Verbund Site

AAPL TSLA AMZN META AMD NVDA PEP COST ADBE GOOG AMGN HON INTC INTU NFLX ADP SBUX MRNA AAPL TSLA AMZN META AMD NVDA PEP COST ADBE GOOG AMGN HON INTC INTU NFLX ADP SBUX MRNA AAPL TSLA AMZN META AMD NVDA PEP COST ADBE GOOG AMGN HON INTC INTU NFLX ADP SBUX MRNA Stocks BASF Launches Key Steam Cracker at New Zhanjiang Verbund Site January 08, 2026 — 07:03 am EST Written by Zacks Equity Research for Zacks-> BASF SE BASFY has started up its steam cracker at its new Verbund complex in Zhanjiang, China. This marks a key pillar for the company’s multi-billion-euro investment in China and one of the largest single projects in its global network for the Asia-Pacific region. The steam cracker, a central facility that breaks down hydrocarbons like naphtha and butane into key building blocks such as ethylene and propylene, began operations as planned, with an annual ethylene capacity of around 1 million metric tons. This installation is the first of its kind globally to power its main compressors entirely with renewable energy, reflecting BASF’s push toward more sustainable chemical production. The cracker will supply multiple downstream units on the site and help extend BASF’s value chain locally to serve a broad range of industries in China, the world’s largest and fastest-growing chemical market. This development follows earlier progress at the Zhanjiang site, including the start-up of several propylene downstream plants and positions the new facility as one of BASF’s largest integrated complexes worldwide. Zhanjiang will be the company’s third biggest Verbund site globally after Ludwigshafen and Antwerp. Shares of BASFY are up 0.5% over the past six months against the industry’s 13% decline. Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchBASFY’s Zacks Rank & Key PicksBASFY carries a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell).Better-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space include LSB Industries, Inc. LXU, Air Liquide S.A. AIQUY and Commercial Metals Company CMC. LXU and CMC sport a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while AIQUY carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for LXB’s current-year earnings is pegged at 36 cents per share, indicating a 57% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimates in two of the trailing four quarters and missed twice, with the average earnings surprise being 141.3%.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AIQUY’s current fiscal-year earnings stands at $1.59 per share, implying a 28.23% year-over-year increase. Shares of AIQUY are down 12.5% over the past six months.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CMC’s current fiscal-year earnings is pegged at $7.05 per share, indicating a 125.24% year-over-year increase. Shares of CMC are up 39.6% over the past six months.

Radical New Technology Could Hand Investors Huge Gains Quantum Computing is the next technological revolution, and it could be even more advanced than AI. While some believed the technology was years away, it is already present and moving fast. Large hyperscalers, such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle, and even Meta and Tesla, are scrambling to integrate quantum computing into their infrastructure.

Senior Stock Strategist Kevin Cook reveals 7 carefully selected stocks poised to dominate the quantum computing landscape in his report, Beyond AI: The Quantum Leap in Computing Power. Kevin was among the early experts who recognized NVIDIA's enormous potential back in 2016. Now, he has keyed in on what could be "the next big thing" in quantum computing supremacy. Today, you have a rare chance to position your portfolio at the forefront of this opportunity.See Top Quantum Stocks Now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free reportBASF SE (BASFY) : Free Stock Analysis ReportAir Liquide (AIQUY) : Free Stock Analysis ReportLsb Industries Inc. (LXU) : Free Stock Analysis ReportCommercial Metals Company (CMC) : Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment Research The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. Tags StocksInvesting Zacks Zacks is the leading investment research firm focusing on stock research, analysis and recommendations. In 1978, our founder discovered the power of earnings estimate revisions to enable profitable investment decisions. Today, that discovery is still the heart of the Zacks Rank. A wealth of resources for individual investors is available at www.zacks.com. More articles by this source-> Stocks mentioned BASFY AIQUY LXU CMC More Related Articles This data feed is not available at this time. Data is currently not available • Sign up for the TradeTalks newsletter to receive your weekly dose of trading news, trends and education. Delivered Wednesdays.