Isopropanol Market Continued the Uptrend This Week (Dec 1-7, 2017)

Market Review:

The Chinese isopropanol market continued moving up this week. On the one hand, the acetone market increased, which supported the isopropanol’s production cost. On the other hand, the supply of isopropanol was tight. Imported goods arrived and they were sold rapidly. Producers tended to raise prices. Traders operated flexibly. Up to December 7, closing prices for isopropanol in Jiangsu were in the range of RMB 7,600-7,700/mt, up RMB 175/mt or 2.34% from last week. The average price was RMB 7,585/mt, up RMB 145/mt week on week.

Forecast:

Supply and Demand: The supply will continue to be tight. Only Haike has little inventory pressure. The inventory at ports is low. The import volume is limited. The downstream demand for ispropanol remains stable.

Other Influencing Factors: Acetone prices are high and may continue to move up. The production cost pressure of isopropanol adopted acetone method is high. The profits of isopropanol units adopted propylene method have become positive. Isopropanol producers want to raise prices.

On the whole, the isopropanol market will see no bearish factors in the short term. Players are cautious about the market. It is predicted that the Chinese isopropanol market may inch up next week.