More Than 60 Kinds of Chemicals Fell Collectively

In the early morning of May 4, Beijing time, crude oil futures prices closed down. WTI June crude oil futures settled down $2.76, or 2.62%, at $102.41 a barrel. Brent crude oil futures for July settled down $2.61, or 2.42%, at $104.97 a barrel.

International crude oil led the decline, more than 60 chemical raw materials fell

As the most upstream basic raw material for bulk commodities, changes in crude oil prices play a crucial role in the chemical market. Recently, chemical companies have smelled a tinge of unease, and the prices of some chemical products have continued to fall. Since the beginning of the year, the price of lithium carbonate, which has continued to be hot, has dropped by 17,400 CNY/ton, and other "lithium" products have also seen a 1,000 yuan drop in ton price, which has attracted the continuous attention of chemical workers.

Propylene glycol is currently quoted at 11,300 CNY/ton, down 2,833.33 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 20.05%;

The current price of acetic acid is 4260 CNY/ton, down 960 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 18.39%;

Glycine is currently quoted at 22,333.33 CNY/ton, down 4,500 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 16.77%;

Aniline is currently quoted at 10,666.67 CNY/ton, down 2,033.33 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 16.01%;

The current price of melamine is 10166.67 CNY/ton, down 1766.66 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 14.80%;

DMF is currently quoted at 12,800 CNY/ton, down 1,750 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 12.03%;

Dimethyl carbonate is currently quoted at 4,900 CNY/ton, down 666.67 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 11.98%;

1,4-Butanediol is currently quoted at 24,460 CNY/ton, down 2,780 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 10.21%;

The current price of calcium carbide is 3983.33 CNY/ton, down 450 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 10.15%;

The current price of acetic anhydride is 7437.5 CNY/ton, down 837.5 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 10.12%;

The current price of OX is 8,200 CNY/ton, down 800 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 8.89%;

The current price of TDI is 17,775 CNY/ton, down 1,675 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 8.61%;

Butadiene is currently quoted at 9816 CNY/ton, down 906.5 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 8.45%;

Butanone is currently quoted at 13,800 CNY/ton, down 1,133.33 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 7.59%;

Maleic anhydride is currently quoted at 11,500 CNY/ton, down 933.33 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 7.51%;

MIBK is currently quoted at 13066.67 CNY/ton, down 900 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 6.44%;

The current price of acrylic acid is 14433.33 CNY/ton, down 866.67 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 5.66%;

Lithium carbonate is currently quoted at 464,000 CNY/ton, down 17,400 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 3.61%;

The current price of R134a is 24,166.67 CNY/ton, down 833.33 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 3.33%;

The current price of lithium iron phosphate is 155,000 CNY/ton, down 5,000 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 3.13%;
Lithium hydroxide is currently quoted at 470,000 CNY/ton, down 8,666.66 CNY/ton from the beginning of last month, or 1.81%.

The influence of the mysterious Charon continues to play a role, and the supply and demand are sluggish, and the "main battlefield" is badly praised

In addition to the reduction of market quotations for chemical products, leading companies as industry leaders have also begun to announce product price drops one after another. Wanhua Chemical announced that starting from May, the listing price of aggregated MDI in China will be 21,800 CNY/ton (down 1,000 CNY/ton from the price in April), and the listing price of pure MDI will be 24,800 CNY/ton (down 1,000 CNY/ton from the price in April).

In May 2022, Shanghai BASF's TDI listing price was 20,000 CNY/ton, a month-on-month decrease of 4,000 CNY/ton; in April 2022, the TDI settlement price was 18,000 CNY/ton, a month-on-month decrease of 1,500 CNY/ton.

Affected by the epidemic, dozens of provinces and cities, including Shanghai, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shandong, have initiated lockdown policies, and transportation has been subject to many restrictions. Regional closures and traffic controls have resulted in the shutdown of the chemical industry chain and some chemical manufacturers voluntarily shut down for maintenance, etc., which has caused the supply of chemical raw materials to decline rapidly, and the supply side of coatings and chemical plants has weakened.

On the other hand, the escalating traffic control policies have further impact on logistics and transportation. The regional logistics cycle is prolonged, and downstream demand has plummeted. Industries such as automobiles, aluminum profiles, real estate, furniture, and home appliances have all pressed the pause button, resulting in a sharp drop in demand for chemicals. There is no large-scale stocking plan downstream during the traditional stocking period of May 1st, and there is no sign of recovery in foreign trade, and manufacturers have a weaker attitude towards the market outlook.

Although the "white list" for resumption of work has been released, and thousands of enterprises are struggling on the road of slow resumption of work, for the entire chemical industry chain, the operating rate is far from normalized. The peak sales season of "gold three silver four" has disappeared, and the upcoming mid-year stage is not a hot season for many industries such as electrical appliances and furniture, which means that the demand in these industries is also weak. Under the game between supply and demand in the market, the tight spot of chemical products has less and less impact on the market, the confidence of high prices has disappeared, and the market may continue to fall.