Stock Analysis | Lyondellbasell Industries Outlook - Bearish Signals and Mixed Analyst Ratings

1. Market Snapshot

Lyondellbasell Industries (LYB) is currently showing a weak technical profile with bearish indicators dominating and an internal diagnostic score of 2.47 (10 = best). This suggests investors should proceed with caution, as the risk of a downward move appears elevated.

2. News Highlights

Recent news surrounding the chemical and energy sectors has been mixed, with no immediate impact on LYB. Here are the top stories:

• Safex Chemicals announced the opening of a new facility in India, which could boost the sector and indirectly benefit chemical producers like LYB.
• U.S. policy changes to how chemical shipments to China are handled may create volatility in global supply chains, with potential ripple effects on LYB’s operations.
• ETFGI reported record ETF assets in the Asia Pacific region, a sign of growing investor appetite for diversified, large-cap names — but LYB’s fundamentals and technicals may not yet qualify it as a top pick in this climate.

3. Analyst Views & Fundamentals

Analysts are split on LYB, with a simple average rating of 2.83 and a performance-weighted rating of 2.09. The ratings are generally neutral or underperforming, with only one firm recommending a Buy and one a Strong Sell.

Here’s how LYB stacks up on key fundamental factors:

• PE ratio: 205.04 (high, bearish) — internal diagnostic score: 0.00
• Net cash flow from operating activities (YoY growth rate %): -118.48% (negative) — internal diagnostic score: 0.00
• Current ratio: 1.77 (1.77x) — internal diagnostic score: 3.00
• Cost of sales ratio: 91.29% — internal diagnostic score: 0.00
• Cash-MV: -0.26 — internal diagnostic score: 2.00

The mixed fundamental outlook aligns with the weak technical signals, suggesting LYB may face downward pressure in the near term.

4. Money-Flow Trends

Big-money investors are showing a positive trend in LYB, with large and extra-large investors seeing inflows, while small and medium investors are seeing outflows.

• Large inflow ratio: 0.508
• Extra-large inflow ratio: 0.497
• Small inflow ratio: 0.499
• Medium inflow ratio: 0.489
• Fund flow score: 7.99 (internal diagnostic score — "good")

This suggests institutional confidence, but retail and smaller investors remain cautious.

5. Key Technical Signals

Technical indicators for LYB are mostly bearish, with the internal diagnostic score at 2.47 (weak). Here are the recent signals:

• WR Overbought has triggered multiple times over the last five days — internal diagnostic score: 1.56
• MACD Golden Cross occurred on 2025-08-18 — internal diagnostic score: 3.38

While the MACD cross is typically a bullish signal, it is being overridden by the overbought warning, suggesting a potential correction. The key insight: Technical indicators show a weak market state with a risk of decline.

6. Conclusion

With weak technicals, mixed fundamentals, and bearish indicators in play, Lyondellbasell Industries (LYB) is not currently in a position to attract aggressive buying. Investors may want to wait for a clearer breakout or positive earnings revision before making a move. The bearish indicators and cautious analyst ratings suggest a conservative approach is warranted at this time.