This week (5.22-5.29), the market for chloroform rose. According to data from Business Society, as of May 29th, the price of trichloromethane bulk water in Shandong Province was 2225 yuan/ton, an increase of 4.71% from last Monday’s 2125 yuan/ton. The price of raw material methanol fluctuates slightly, and the cost support for trichloromethane is weak; Recently, some downstream enterprises have taken stock replenishment actions, and short-term demand has been supported by trichloromethane. The market for trichloromethane has slightly increased.

This week (5.22-5.29), there was a slight fluctuation in the start of the methane chloride plant.

This week (5.22-5.29), the price of raw material methanol has stabilized at a low level, and the cost support for trichloromethane is still weak. According to the Commodity Market Analysis System of Business Society, as of May 29th, the spot price of methanol was 2191 yuan/ton, an increase of 0.04% from last Monday’s 2190 yuan/ton, and the low point during the cycle was 2135 yuan/ton.

Short term export orders provide support for trichloromethane, but due to the domestic refrigeration market entering the end of the traditional peak season. The parking and maintenance prices of some downstream refrigerant R22 enterprises are temporarily stable, and in addition, the total production quota of R22 will be reduced by 19% to 181800 tons in 2023, making it difficult to improve the demand for trichloromethane in the medium to long term.

According to methane chloride data analysts from Business Society, although the supply pressure in the trichloromethane region is currently relatively low, the overall domestic demand support is weak, coupled with low cost consolidation, and it is expected that the trichloromethane market will fluctuate in a narrow range in the future.

Price trend

This week, the domestic PA66 market showed significant stability and slight fluctuations. According to data monitoring from Business Society, the average factory price of PA66 in China on May 26th was 20866.67 yuan/ton, a+2.62% increase or decrease compared to the price level at the beginning of the month.

Cause analysis

After the PA66 market recovered this week, it stabilized, and overall, spot prices of various brands rose narrowly. In terms of supply, the overall load of the domestic PA66 industry is currently around 66%, which has decreased compared to the previous period. Some enterprises have lowered their burden, and supply contraction has formed a certain support for the spot market. Inventory has also been partially digested, market supply has decreased compared to the previous period, supply side support has rebounded, and enterprise pricing operations have been narrowly repaired. On the upstream side, the raw material hexamethylene diamine remained stable, while on the other hand, the price of adipic acid continued to decline due to a lack of positive market guidance. The raw material side of PA66 has poor support for spot goods. The demand situation is stable, and terminal enterprises need to follow up on their purchases. Buyers generally have limited acceptance of high priced goods. It is expected that PA66 may continue to consolidate its market in the short term.

Future Market Forecast

This week, the spot price of PA66 stabilized after repairing. The raw material market is weak, and the cost support for PA66 is average. The load of PA66 enterprise has decreased, supply has tightened, and the overall inventory position is average. The demand side takes goods to maintain production, and it is expected that in the short term, PA66 may be supported by suppliers and tend to be more organized and operated.

On May 25th, approaching the weekend, domestic liquid ammonia continued its decline this week and continued to decline. According to the Commodity Market Analysis System of Business Society, the main production area of Shandong fell by 2.19% daily, and the trading center moved down the range of 200 to 300 yuan/ton compared to the beginning of the week.

Liquid ammonia has shown an overall downward trend this week, with an increase in supply in the main production area of Shandong, and a high operating rate among enterprises. Many ammonia companies have switched to producing liquid ammonia due to increased production, resulting in inventory backlog. Coupled with a large number of imported goods arriving at the port last week, this has had an impact on the liquid ammonia market in the region. Shandong large factories have repeatedly lowered factory prices this week, with a cumulative range of around 300 yuan/ton. On the demand side, due to the impact of the current off-season agricultural demand, downstream procurement has slowed down, and the dual pressure of supply and demand has led to a continuous decline in the price of liquid ammonia. At present, the mainstream quotation in Shandong region is between 2700-3000 yuan/ton.

Prediction: Liquid ammonia analysts from Business Society believe that the supply and demand of ammonia in the short term are not favorable, and prices will continue to be weak in the near future.

Analysis: On May 23rd, the market for butyl acetate rose, with an increase of 1.97% compared to yesterday. The mainstream quotation range is between 7400 to 7600 yuan/ton. The main reason for the increase is driven by the cost side, with the upstream n-butanol market stopping its decline and partially rising. Another raw material, acetic acid, has improved and continues to fluctuate at high levels. The cost transmission effect has driven downstream butyl esters higher. However, the supply and demand fundamentals are still weak, and market transactions are not good. The enthusiasm for downstream market entry is not high, and supply and demand maintain a basic balance.

Future market forecast: The cost side is positive in the short term, or it may be fulfilled, while the supply and demand fundamentals are weak and difficult to improve. It is expected that butyl acetate will continue to rise weakly. In the later stage, the adjustment pattern may continue to be maintained.

Domestic cobalt prices fluctuated and consolidated this week

According to data monitoring from Business Society, as of May 22, cobalt prices were 255800 yuan/ton, a decrease of -0.16% compared to May 15, when cobalt prices were 256200 yuan/ton; The cobalt price decreased by 0.08% compared to 256000 yuan/ton on May 11th. This week, the cobalt market fluctuated and consolidated, with cobalt prices slightly fluctuating and falling.

Export surge and rising demand

According to data from China Automobile Association, in the first quarter, China exported 248000 new energy vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 1.1 times; The cumulative export of power battery enterprises’ batteries has reached 25.8 GWh. In April, China exported 100000 new energy vehicles, an increase of 28.6% month on month and 8.4 times year-on-year; From January to April, China exported 348000 new energy vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 1.7 times. According to data from the China Passenger Car Association, in April, China exported 91000 new energy passenger vehicles, an increase of 1028.5% year-on-year and 29.4% month on month, accounting for 31% of passenger car exports; From January to April, China exported a total of 310000 new energy passenger vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 170%. The export of new energy vehicles has surged, and the proportion of exports has increased. The demand for new energy vehicles has increased, leading to an increase in demand in the cobalt market.

According to data released by the General Administration of Customs, in the first quarter, the export of electric vehicles reached 64.75 billion yuan, an increase of 122.3%; The proportion of China’s automobile exports has increased by 5.1%, reaching 43.9%. Driven by multiple factors such as strong demand in foreign electric vehicles and energy storage markets, China’s lithium battery exports in the first quarter reached 109.79 billion yuan, with a growth rate of 94.3%. The export of electric vehicles and lithium batteries has surged, and the demand for cobalt in the market has steadily increased.

Overview and outlook

According to Bai Jiaxin, a data analyst at Business Society, the export volume of new energy vehicles and lithium batteries has surged, and the demand for cobalt in the market has steadily increased. Cobalt prices are supported by rising prices, but in terms of supply and demand relations, the cobalt market has sufficient supply, and the supply and demand in the cobalt market are relatively balanced. The support for cobalt price increases is limited, and the downward pressure is weakened. It is expected that cobalt prices will fluctuate and consolidate in the future.