Outlook

The sales and earnings forecast for the 2020 business year provided by BASF on February 28, 2020, will not be able to be met. The company is therefore withdrawing its outlook. It is currently impossible to reliably estimate both the length and the further spread of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as future measures to contain it. Consequently, concrete statements on the future development of sales and earnings cannot be made at present.

BASF expects to be severely impacted by the economic consequences of the global drop in demand and production, in particular as a result of the ongoing production stoppages in the automotive industry. The effects of the coronavirus pandemic will also impact other customer industries. As a result, the company anticipates a considerable decline in sales volumes in the second quarter of 2020. BASF currently expects a slow recovery for the third and fourth quarters of 2020; how the situation develops is, however, extremely uncertain at this point in time.

BASF will quantify its expectations for the future development of sales and earnings as soon as it is again possible to make a reliable forecast.