The Off-Season of Titanium Dioxide is Earlier Than Ever in 2019

After the traditional peak season of September and October, the titanium dioxide market is gradually weakening. The news that leading companies have secretly cut prices to ensure product sales is not a secret any more. The upper limit of today’s market quotation range has also been lowered from the previous 16300/ton to 15500-15800 CNY/ton, down to the consideration of the integration of the titanium dioxide industry in recent years. The leading effect of the leading enterprise is more significant. It is expected that after the price adjustment of the leading enterprise, other companies will also be forced to make adjustments soon. It can be said that the first wave of cold current in the titanium dioxide market this winter is taking shape.

In fact, as early as September and October, when the price of titanium dioxide was on the rise, some market participants noticed that this year’s peak season performance was not enough. Due to the relatively flat demand in the downstream market, downstream companies did not have the action of increasing purchasing power in the past years after the price of titanium dioxide rose. Some downstream enterprises began to arrange early stocking when the price will rise, while other small and medium-sized users insisted on purchasing on demand after the price went up, making this year’s titanium-white peak season not form a large influx of orders.

At the end of October, the titanium dioxide market has gradually become weak. At that time, some insiders said that there was a large downside probability in the titanium dioxide market in November. Some people said that the Shanghai Coatings Show in mid-November would become an important indicator of the market trend at the end of the year. If the general signing of titanium dioxide enterprises is not good, the exhibition will be forced to choose price reduction and quantity after the exhibition. At present, it seems that the price reduction period has already advanced to the exhibition.

However, this price cut is also a short-term fluctuation in the normal industry. After the market downturn in 2013-2016, the current performance of China’s titanium dioxide market is relatively mature, that is, it does not see the price as high as more than 20,000 CNY/ton, it is also difficult to see the price as low as 10,000 yuan or even 9,000 CNY/ton. In addition, the current industry concentration is getting higher and higher, the domestic downstream market is becoming more stable, and gradually shifting from incremental market orientation to stock market orientation. Therefore, the fluctuations in the titanium dioxide market are mainly seasonal and small-scale adjustments. As usual last year, this round of adjustment will continue until around the Spring Festival, when the market will be in other peak season.