Price trend

In March, the propylene oxide market showed a situation of mixed ups and downs. At the beginning of March, the propylene oxide market showed a stable and declining trend. Due to the restart of some factory facilities and sufficient market supply, coupled with rising raw material prices and insufficient downstream demand, corporate profits have narrowed, leading to a decline in prices. Since mid March, due to the reduction in supply of raw material liquid chlorine in the market, prices have risen significantly, which has provided some support for the price of propylene oxide and led to an upward trend. At the end of March, the propylene oxide market experienced a slight decline in price due to weak downstream demand and insufficient terminal digestion. According to the Commodity Market Analysis System of SunSirs, as of March 28th, the benchmark price of SunSirs's propylene oxide was 7,987.5 RMB/ton, a decrease of 0.47% from the beginning of the month. 

Analysis review

Price influencing factors:

Supply side: After the load reduction of LihuaYi equipment, there was temporarily no available quantity for sale, and there was a maintenance plan for Sanyue equipment. As of March 28th, the market inventory has decreased. Enterprises tended to have a strong mentality of supporting prices.

Raw material side: In March, the raw material propylene and liquid chlorine markets showed mixed fluctuations. At the beginning of the month, there was a small peak in propylene prices, which provided strong support for the propylene oxide market. In mid March, the price of propylene remained within the range of fluctuations, which had limited impact on the trend of the propylene oxide market. However, due to supply reduction, the price of raw material liquid chlorine increased significantly, which provided some support for the price of propylene oxide. Overall, the propylene oxide market showed an upward trend. At the end of the month, there was a significant drop in propylene prices, and the cost support for propylene oxide was insufficient, resulting in a strong market price. According to the market analysis system of SunSirs, as of March 27th, the benchmark price of propylene in SunSirs was 6,798.25 RMB/ton, a decrease of 0.22% compared to the beginning of this month (6,813.25 RMB/ton).

Downstream: As of March 27th, unsaturated resin enterprises were mainly operating steadily, but due to the rise in raw material prices, the unsaturated resin market was on the rise. The downstream demand for unsaturated resin was limited, and there was a strong wait-and-see sentiment in the market.

Market outlook

An propylene oxide analyst from SunSirs believes that the supply side shipments of propylene oxide market were normal and there was still some support. However, the downstream trading atmosphere was generally average, with on-demand procurement as the main focus and insufficient demand side support. Many enterprises were mainly pushing prices. It is expected that the propylene oxide market will continue to fluctuate within a certain range in the later stage, and more attention should be paid to changes in raw material prices.

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