Since July, the market of chloroform has declined significantly. According to the data of the business society, as of July 17, the price of chloroform bulk water in Shandong was 1825 yuan/ton, down 9.88% from 2025 yuan/ton at the beginning of the month. The price of raw material methanol rose slightly but remained at a low level, and the cost support of chloroform was weak; Inquiries were made on demand in the downstream off-season, and transactions in the trichloromethane market were light, with prices falling sharply.

In the first half of the month, the start of the methane chloride plant slightly decreased, and the overall supply pressure slightly eased.

Since July, the price of raw material methanol has risen slightly, and the cost center of dichloromethane has moved up. According to the Commodity Market Analysis System of Business Society, as of July 17th, the spot price of methanol was 2245 yuan/ton, an increase of 3.02% from 2180 yuan/ton at the beginning of the month.

Short term replenishment orders ended, coupled with a small amount of low demand for domestic refrigerant starting, the price of some downstream refrigerant R22 enterprises for shutdown and maintenance was temporarily stable, and chloroform fell slightly. In addition, the total production quota of R22 in 2023 was reduced by 19% to 181800 tons. In the medium and long term, it is difficult to improve the demand support for chloroform.

According to the methane chloride data analysts of the business society, although the overall domestic demand support for chloroform is weak at present, the supply side is slightly eased. It is expected that the chloroform market will narrow and consolidate in the later period.

According to the monitoring of the Commodity Market Analysis System of the Business Society, the domestic price of LLDPE (7042) was 8064 yuan/ton on July 7th, and the average price on July 14th was 8157 yuan/ton. During this period, the quotation increased by 1.15%.

According to the monitoring of the Commodity Market Analysis System of the Business Society, the average ex factory price of LDPE (2426H) on July 7th was 8687 yuan/ton, and the average price on July 14th was 8850 yuan/ton, with an increase of 1.87% during the period.

According to the monitoring of the Commodity Market Analysis System of the Business Society, the average ex factory price of HDPE (5000S) was 9137 yuan/ton on July 7th, and the average price on July 14th was 9250 yuan/ton. During this period, the quotation increased by 1.23%.

This week, polyethylene prices continued the upward trend of last week. In terms of cost, crude oil rose in the short term, supporting the rise in polyethylene prices. In terms of supply, there were many parking, maintenance, and decoration projects in China in July. This week, the supply side slightly decreased compared to last week, with petrochemical factories mainly increasing. In terms of demand, July is in the off-season of demand, and downstream purchases are mainly on demand.

This week’s macro sentiment is good, providing some support for the polyethylene market. There is room for an increase in international oil prices next week, and there is little change in the supply side of polyethylene. It is expected that polyethylene will mainly rise in a narrow range.

MIBK market volatility is limited. According to the Market Analysis System of Business Society, the price in the East China market was between 12000-12200 yuan/ton on July 12th.

The raw material acetone rose in a wide range, and the cost increased. In East China, 5500-5550 yuan/ton was negotiated. The factory concentrated on increasing the price, and the factory stood firm in issuing orders, which continued to boost the sentiment.

Downstream procurement is poor, and buying needs to be improved. Operators mainly deliver early orders, and there is no pressure on inventory. Negotiations are focused on adjusting the focus range, and the MIBK industry’s operating rate is at 45%.

It is expected that the MIBK market will have limited volatility today, so please pay attention to the pace of shipment.

According to monitoring data from Business Society, as of July 11, 2023, the reference price of n-butanol in the Shandong region of China was 7500 yuan/ton. Compared with July 5 (reference price of n-butanol was 7283 yuan/ton), the price increased by 217 yuan/ton, an increase of 2.97%.

From the monitoring chart of Business Society data, it can be seen that in the recent period (7.5-7.11), the domestic Shandong n-butanol market has shown a steady upward trend as a whole. The trading atmosphere of n-butanol on the market is good, and there is a small range of stage stocking downstream. New orders for n-butanol have improved, and the overall n-butanol market is experiencing a recovery. The center of gravity of n-butanol prices is constantly moving upward. As of July 11, the domestic Shandong n-butanol market price reference is around 7300-7700 yuan/ton.

Aftermarket analysis of n-butanol

At present, the trading atmosphere in the n-butanol market is still good, with some n-butanol devices undergoing maintenance and supply side providing some support to the market. The n-butanol data analyst of the Business Society predicts that in the short term, the domestic Shandong n-butanol market will mainly operate steadily with a strong trend, and the specific trend still needs to pay more attention to specific news changes on the supply and demand side.

Recent trends in sulfuric acid prices

According to the Commodity Market Analysis System of Business Society, the domestic sulfuric acid market price has slightly declined this week, with sulfuric acid prices dropping from 188.00 yuan/ton at the beginning of the week to 178.00 yuan/ton at the end of the week, a decrease of 5.32%. Weekend prices fell by 81.26% year-on-year. On July 9th, the sulfuric acid commodity index stood at 27.70, unchanged from yesterday and reaching a historic low within the cycle, a decrease of 85.27% from its highest point of 188.07 on April 13, 2022. (Note: The cycle refers to the period from September 1st, 2011 to the present)

Upstream market slightly rises, but downstream procurement enthusiasm is insufficient

From the supply side perspective, the prices of mainstream domestic sulfuric acid manufacturers have slightly decreased this week, with average inventory levels among manufacturers.

From the perspective of the upstream and downstream industry chains, the upstream sulfur market has slightly increased, with sulfur prices rising from 713.33 yuan/ton at the beginning of the week to 730.00 yuan/ton at the weekend, an increase of 2.34%. Over the weekend, prices fell 76.95% year-on-year, with a slight increase in upstream prices and increased cost support. The downstream hydrofluoric acid market has stabilized at a low level, with a market price of 9585.71 yuan/ton. Weekend prices fell 10.41% year-on-year. The downstream titanium dioxide market slightly declined, with market prices dropping from 16133.33 yuan/ton at the beginning of the week to 15650.00 yuan/ton at the weekend, a decrease of 3.00%. Weekend prices fell by 22.07% year-on-year. The downstream market has slightly declined, and the enthusiasm for downstream procurement has weakened.

Small fluctuation and decline in the future market

In mid to late July, the domestic sulfuric acid market may experience slight fluctuations and declines. Although the upstream sulfur market has slightly increased, cost support is good. However, the downstream titanium dioxide market has slightly declined, while the hydrofluoric acid market has stabilized at a low level. Downstream customers’ enthusiasm for purchasing sulfuric acid has weakened, and the product trend has declined due to supply-demand conflicts. Business Society sulfuric acid analysts believe that in the short term, the domestic sulfuric acid market is mainly affected by various factors such as supply and demand and raw materials, and the sulfuric acid market price may fluctuate and decline slightly.