Nevertheless, chemical companies should gain from strategic measures, including cost-cutting and productivity improvement, earnings-accretive acquisitions and aggressive price increase actions in the wake of raw material cost inflation. A rebound in crude oil prices has also led to a recovery in demand for chemicals in the energy market and a favorable pricing environment for chemical products as their prices essentially move in tandem with oil prices. However, investors' confidence on the industry's prospects has taken a beating of late due to heightened trade tensions between the United States and China.