On March 9, 2026, the domestic energy and chemical sector experienced severe fluctuations. The main PTA contract opened at a limit up price of 6290 yuan/ton, reaching a high of 6316 yuan/ton during trading, with an increase of 7.01%. The trading volume quickly increased to over 1.12 million lots. The spot market followed the rise of futures, and the commodity market analysis system of Shengyi Society showed that on March 9th, the spot price of PTA in East China was 5857 yuan/ton, up 1.62% from the previous trading day.
The core driving force behind this market trend is the surge in crude oil prices caused by the escalation of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. As a necessary passage for one-fifth of the global shipping of crude oil, the strait has fallen into a “soft blockade” due to geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East. Iraq has reduced production by 1.5 million barrels per day, and countries such as Kuwait have followed suit, causing international oil prices to skyrocket. On Friday, March 6th, NYMEX crude oil futures took the lead in a surge, with the active April crude oil contract closing up $9.89, a 12.21% increase, and settling at $90.90 per barrel. This week, the cumulative increase was $23.88, a 35.63% increase. Brent crude oil futures closed up $7.28 in May, an increase of 8.52%, with a settlement price of $92.69 per barrel, achieving a sixth consecutive trading day of gains and a cumulative increase of 27.2% this week. As the source of the PTA industry chain, crude oil directly increases the production cost of PTA. The cost increase caused by this geopolitical shock has built a solid bottom for PTA prices.
The rapid transmission of market sentiment and the synergistic effect of the industrial chain have accelerated the formation of the daily limit up. Upstream varieties such as crude oil and PX collectively hit the daily limit up, driving the overall sentiment of the energy and chemical sector to rise. PTA, as the core raw material of the polyester industry chain, is linked with downstream polyester and polyester varieties, and the sharp rise in upstream costs has triggered expectations of a rebound in the industry chain.
From the perspective of supply and demand, 2026 is the “production vacuum period” for the PTA industry. There is no new production capacity added domestically, and the existing effective production capacity is about 94 million tons. Some high cost equipment will be shut down for a long time, and the industry’s supply elasticity is extremely low. In March, some facilities were restarted, but the maintenance plans of major factories such as Yizheng Chemical Fiber offset the increase, and the actual supply is still in a tight balance state. Currently, the utilization rate of PTA production capacity in China is around 80%. However, there is a short-term contradiction of lagging terminal demand. Currently, it is in the post holiday resumption stage, and the comprehensive operating rate of the weaving industry in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is only 39%. The polyester load has recovered to around 83%, which is lower than the same period in previous years. Terminal orders have not yet been implemented on a large scale, and downstream enterprises have limited acceptance of high priced raw materials, which hinders cost transmission and creates a differentiation pattern of “strong cost, weak demand”.
Business analysts believe that in the short term, geopolitical risks will still dominate the PTA price trend. If the navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is not restored for a long time, cost support will continue to exist. With the arrival of the peak demand season, the acceleration of terminal resumption of work is expected to alleviate the supply-demand contradiction, and there is still room for PTA prices to rise. We need to be vigilant about the price correction after the easing of geopolitical risks, and focus on the progress of cross-strait navigation, the landing of equipment maintenance, and the pace of downstream order recovery.

1、 Trend analysis
According to the monitoring of nickel prices by Shengyi Society, nickel prices first fell and then rose this week. As of the weekend, the spot nickel price was 140633.33 yuan/ton, down 0.67% from the beginning of the week and up 8.98% year-on-year.
According to the weekly chart of Shengyi Society, nickel prices have fallen 4 times and risen 9 times in the past 12 weeks, with a slight correction in nickel prices recently
Nickel industry chain
LME nickel inventory
Macroscopically, ADP employment in the United States increased by 63000 in February, the largest increase since November 2025, exceeding market expectations of 50000, and weakening expectations of interest rate cuts; The situation in the Middle East remains uncertain.
Supply side: In February 2026, China’s refined nickel production was 32600 tons, a decrease of 7.45% month on month and 1.65% year-on-year. The estimated refined nickel production in China in March is 39430 tons, an increase of 20.95% month on month and 7.54% year-on-year.
In terms of demand, the overall downstream demand for electroplating is relatively stable, and it is difficult to see growth in the later stage; The demand for alloys still accounts for the majority, with good demand for alloys in military and shipping industries. Enterprises are buying at low prices, and the “Two Sessions” emphasize the long-term benefits of defense spending. Insufficient boost in demand for stainless steel terminals during the off-season, and steel mills still have some raw material inventory in the early stage, maintaining a wait-and-see attitude towards rising prices of raw materials; There is a strong demand for downstream ternary exports and pre holiday inventory preparation, but the purchase volume of nickel sulfate is still relatively small, and the market price of nickel sulfate remains stable with light market transactions.
News: Recently, the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mines has attracted market attention for its expected nickel ore production of 209 million this year. The target production is mainly based on historical estimates of actual production, which differs from the RKAB quota itself. In addition, APNI has stated that RKAB can add 30% in July, and will continue to pay attention to quota constraints in the future.
In summary, there has been an increase in macro uncertainty overseas in recent times, with continued disturbances in the mining sector and strong support from the raw material sector. Weak demand and high inventory are the main constraints, and strong bottom support but limited upward driving force. It is expected that nickel prices will remain in a range of fluctuations.

1、 Price trend
From March 1st to 5th, the cyclohexanone market in Shandong continued to rise, with the center of gravity of cyclohexanone constantly adjusting towards higher levels. Shandong’s major factories raised their prices by 950 yuan/ton on March 5th, driving the overall market trend to converge. On March 5th, the cyclohexanone market price in Shandong was around 8250-8350 yuan/ton.
2、 Analysis of Core Influencing Factors
Geopolitical disturbances drive up costs: The ongoing tension in the Middle East and high international crude oil prices have driven up prices of upstream raw materials such as pure benzene. Pure benzene is the main raw material for cyclohexanone, and the recent rise in pure benzene prices has provided cost support for cyclohexanone, driving up production costs and increasing the willingness of enterprises to adjust prices.
Improvement in supply and demand transmission: The tight supply and the rebound in demand form a combined force for price increases. At present, some cyclohexanone units have entered the maintenance period in March, and the effective supply in the market has decreased. The spot inventory is at a relatively low level, coupled with the gradual recovery of demand in downstream industries such as chemical fiber and coatings. The market’s expectations for the recovery of cyclohexanone demand have increased, boosting market confidence, and the market supply and demand situation has shifted towards a tighter direction.
3、 Future forecast
Currently, under the dual effects of cost support and tight supply, the price of cyclohexanone is expected to maintain a high level in the short term, and there is a possibility of further slight increases. In the long run, it is necessary to pay more attention to the progress of adding new production capacity and the recovery of downstream demand. If the pressure on the supply side increases, prices may face downward pressure.

Recently, there has been a significant increase in domestic polyethylene prices, led by LDPE. It is the result of international geopolitical conflicts, rising costs, improvement in domestic supply and demand margins, and market sentiment resonance. The core driving force is the Middle East situation pushing up oil prices, import disturbances, and downstream resumption of work and replenishment.
According to the monitoring of the commodity market analysis system of Shengyi Society, the average price of LLDPE (7042) was 6605 yuan/ton on February 27th and 7125 yuan/ton on March 3rd, an increase of 7.87%. LDPE (2426H) had an average price of 8683 yuan/ton on February 27th and 9450 yuan/ton on March 3rd, an increase of 8.83%. The average price of HDPE (5000S) on February 27th was 7312 yuan/ton, and on March 3rd it was 7637 yuan/ton, an increase of 4.44%.
1. International geopolitics and cost side
Crude oil prices skyrocket, with strong support from the cost side
In early March, the situation in the Middle East escalated, Iran related conflicts intensified, and shipping risks in the Strait of Hormuz increased. Recently, international crude oil prices have surged significantly, directly driving up polyethylene spot prices.
Import sources and logistics are obstructed
Iran is an important source of PE imports for China, with LDPE accounting for 14%, HDPE accounting for 11%, and LLDPE accounting for 3%. LDPE has the highest dependence on imports. The conflict has led to a shortage of Iranian goods and delayed shipping schedules. Oil tankers are forced to detour around the Cape of Good Hope, leading to a significant increase in import costs and tight spot supply.
2. Domestic supply side
Concentrated short-term supply reduction during device maintenance
In March, there was no new production capacity added domestically, but there were more maintenance facilities, resulting in a decrease in capacity utilization compared to the previous month and a tightening of supply margins.
High inventory but accelerated destocking
After the end of February, the inventory was high, but on March 3, after the Yuanxiao (Filled round balls made of glutinous rice-flour for Lantern Festival) Festival, the downstream resumed work faster, the inventory reduction was accelerated, and the market shifted from “digesting inventory” to “replenishing inventory” to support prices.
3. Demand side
The peak season for downstream resumption of work and agricultural film production has begun
After the Yuanxiao (Filled round balls made of glutinous rice-flour for Lantern Festival) Festival, downstream projects such as packaging, injection molding and pipe materials resumed in an all-round way, and the operating rate rose rapidly; In March, we entered the peak season for traditional agricultural film demand, with an increase in the purchase of plastic film and greenhouse film, which resonated with the demand for replenishment and storage.
4. Market sentiment and futures driven
On March 2-3, the main LLDPE contract of Dashang Exchange hit the daily limit up for two consecutive days, driving up spot prices; Traders have a strong bullish sentiment, being reluctant to sell and pushing up prices, further pushing up prices.
Short term polyethylene prices are still relatively strong, but attention should be paid to whether the situation in the Middle East has eased and whether oil prices can continue; The speed of domestic inventory turnover and the realization of downstream actual demand; Supply recovery status after maintenance is completed. If geopolitical conflicts persist and demand continues to rebound, prices are expected to remain strong; If oil prices fall back and demand falls short of expectations, the increase may narrow.

Today, driven by the sharp rise in the market, mainstream domestic bottle manufacturers have raised their spot prices one after another, and the market has strong bullish expectations. As of March 3rd, according to the price data from Shengyi Society, the mainstream average spot price of polyester bottle chips in East China is 6667 yuan/ton.
On the cost side: The main reason for the sharp rise in crude oil prices caused by the intensification of geopolitical situation, coupled with the significant strengthening of PTA futures, has significantly raised the center of gravity of aggregation costs.
Supply: Centralized reduction and shutdown of equipment, expected reduction in supply volume; Operating rate 68.42%
• Demand: Downstream soft drink production starts at 70-80%, gradually recovering
• Inventory: Available days 16.55 days, slightly increased month on month but still tight
In the short term, as long as the situation in the Middle East does not substantially cool down, the premium of crude oil and upstream raw materials will be difficult to eliminate, and the price of PET bottle chips will maintain a high volatility driven by costs. Short term forecast shows strong price fluctuations, following the fluctuations of crude oil/raw materials and moving up the range. If the device restarts, inventory accumulates, or there is a slight correction in the later stage.