Will This Chemical Trend Continue in 2013?

With shale production leading to a massive boom in oil and natural gas liquids in the U.S. recently, the prices, particularly those of NGL, have reached record lows this past year. And because chemical companies such as Westlake (NYS: WLK) and LyondellBasell (NYS: LYB) use ethane as a feedstock for the production of ethylene and ethylene-related products, such as many plastics, low ethane prices mean incredible margins for these companies compared to their international counterparts. But is this trend expected to continue in 2013? In this video, Motley Fool energy analyst Taylor Muckerman tells us who is benefiting and how long it's expected to last.

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The article Will This Chemical Trend Continue in 2013? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Joel South has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. Taylor Muckerman has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. The Motley Fool owns shares of ExxonMobil. Motley Fool newsletter services recommend Chevron. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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