Taiwan's Formosa Plastics companies say sales should rise quarter after quarter into year-end, good news for shareholders after a soft August.

• August group sales still edged up from July even though a maintenance shutdown at the refining arm dragged on two of the units.
• The main growth driver is China's autumn buying season, the busiest stretch of the year for plastics and chemicals demand.
• Nan Ya points to electronic materials taking off as its biggest sales engine, plus extra production lines for export chemicals.
• Higher oil and raw material costs from the Middle East conflict are pushing chemical and plastic prices up, which supports revenue.
• Low water levels in the Panama Canal are cutting the flow of cheap American feedstock into Asia, propping up regional prices further.

Outlook: Sales should improve month by month into the fourth quarter, though profits depend on whether costs rise faster than product prices.