According to the Business Society Spot News, in the first half of April, the propylene glycol market showed a trend of “rising and then falling at a high level”. At the beginning of the month, the price rose sharply, but under the dual pressure of cost collapse and weakened supply and demand, it slightly decreased in the second half. As of April 16th, the average production price of propylene glycol in Shandong was 11433 yuan/ton, with a cumulative increase of 10.65% in half a month.
fundamental analysis
Supply and demand situation
Supply side: Some domestic propylene glycol units have completed maintenance, and the operating rate has rebounded. However, the overall supply is still tight, and manufacturers have a strong willingness to raise prices. The spot market supply is tight.
Demand side: Downstream unsaturated resin demand remains stable, but at high prices, downstream customers tend to be cautious in receiving goods, mainly purchasing small orders for essential needs, resulting in limited overall demand growth. The spot market for polyether polyols continues to operate weakly, with sufficient supply and some manufacturers promoting orders at lower prices, resulting in a lack of overall follow-up willingness. The demand for lithium battery electrolyte solvents still has some support, and long-term orders are relatively stable, but high prices have a certain inhibitory effect on spot purchases.
Weakened cost support
In early April, market concerns about Middle Eastern geopolitics and rising oil prices pushed up epoxy propane, which in turn led to speculative increases in propylene glycol; In mid April, the geopolitical risk margin eased, epoxy propane supply resumed, and market sentiment turned cautious. Epoxy propane was the first to rebound, while propylene glycol lagged behind due to tight supply and demand balance. The price of propylene glycol completely follows the cost transmission of epichlorohydrin.
Market forecast:
In the short term, it is expected that the propylene glycol market will continue to maintain a high and narrow range oscillation pattern, with a low probability of significant price increases or decreases. Attention should be paid to the fluctuation of epoxy propane prices, changes in the supply side, and changes in downstream demand. If high prices continue to suppress downstream purchasing enthusiasm, prices may face slight downward pressure.

Market trend
In the past week (April 8-14), the PA66 market has slowed down first and then surged, continuing to fluctuate at a high level in the first half of the week and accelerating again in the second half. According to data from Shengyishe Spot News, the benchmark price of PA66 has risen from 22966.67 yuan/ton on April 7th to 25100 yuan/ton on April 14th, with a cumulative increase of 20.29% since April, reaching its highest price in a year.
influencing factors
From a cost perspective, the raw material side maintained a high consolidation, and the execution price of hexamethylenediamine by NVIDIA in April has been raised to 26000 yuan/ton, a significant increase from the beginning of the year. The cost pressure is directly transmitted to PA66. Another core raw material, adipic acid, was driven by the previous rise in oil prices, with a cumulative increase of over 50% in the first quarter. Although the benchmark price of adipic acid slightly decreased by 0.63% in mid April compared to the beginning of the month, it still operated at a relatively high historical level overall. Despite the recent easing of geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East, the early energy premium has been deeply embedded in the industrial chain, making it difficult for the short-term cost center to shift downwards.
From the perspective of supply and demand, there has been a recent decrease in imported goods on the supply side, with tight spot circulation in the market and strong reluctance among traders to sell. Both manufacturers and traders have overall low inventory levels. Recently, some enterprises have seen a decrease in their operating load, which has provided support for prices. On the demand side, the overall performance is weak, and the downstream textile industry has a low acceptance of high prices. They generally adopt the strategy of “small order demand, on-demand procurement”, with few large purchases and insufficient trading activity, forming a stalemate pattern of “supply side control and demand suppression”.
Future forecast
In the short term, the PA66 market is expected to maintain high volatility, and there is limited room for a significant unilateral price increase in the short term. The strong cost support and weak demand form a game, and the price trend will highly depend on changes in raw materials and the recovery progress of downstream orders. If there is no significant improvement in terminal demand, high prices or suppression of production will lead to the continuation of the “price but no market” situation.

With the easing of the situation in the Middle East and the disappearance of crude oil premiums, domestic PTA prices have rapidly rebounded in recent times. According to the Commodity Market Analysis System of Shengyi Society, as of April 14th, the spot price of PTA in East China was 6392 yuan/ton, a decrease of 7.79% from a week ago.
The cost side remains the core driving factor, and crude oil fluctuations directly affect market sentiment. On April 8th, the international crude oil market experienced an epic plunge, with WTI and Brent crude oil both falling below the $100/barrel integer mark. WTI’s daily decline exceeded 16%. The core driving force was the temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran, the rapid recovery of the expected navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, and the accumulation of US crude oil inventories exceeding expectations. The market concentrated on clearing the previous geopolitical risk premium, and crude oil and refined oil futures fell sharply simultaneously. At present, there is a slight rebound in the repair.
In April, the industry entered the spring maintenance stage, with leading enterprises gradually shutting down their facilities. The industry’s operating rate has fallen to around 80%, and domestic PTA facilities have entered large-scale maintenance. Domestic supply expectations have decreased, and the performance of the supply side is relatively strong. Inventory has entered the destocking channel, and the tight supply of raw materials in April continues. Some units may still undergo unplanned maintenance, and the tight circulation of spot goods provides support for prices. And there was no new PTA production capacity added throughout the year, and the pressure of long-term supply easing disappeared.
On the demand side, the performance is relatively weak. Currently, the textile industry is in a traditional off-season with insufficient foreign trade orders. The weaving operation rate in Jiangsu and Zhejiang continues to operate at a low level, and the accumulation of finished products and rigid demand procurement in the polyester sector are the main factors, which has formed a significant negative feedback on high priced PTA and restricted the upward space of prices. But with the steady increase in production in industries such as soft drinks and the gradual digestion of previous stockpiling, demand will moderately recover. From May to June, we are gradually entering the traditional peak consumption season, and the demand for replenishing inventory is expected to be released. The supply-demand structure may enter a tight balance state. But if raw material prices continue to run at high levels, downstream purchasing intentions may still be suppressed, and there is uncertainty about the extent of demand improvement.
Looking at the future, according to the Business Society Spot News, the current PTA 10 day moving average is below the 20 day moving average, indicating a downward trend.
In terms of location, it has been at a low level in the past 30 days, but at a medium high level in the past year, indicating that PTA prices may experience a downward trend. We still need to pay close attention to the maintenance progress of PTA units, the trend of crude oil, and the recovery of downstream peak seasons.

From April 1st to 13th, 2026, the domestic 1 # antimony ingot market experienced a slight decline, with prices gradually decreasing from an initial 168000 yuan/ton to a final 166000 yuan/ton, a cumulative decrease of 1.19%. In early April 2026, the domestic antimony ingot market showed an overall operating characteristic of “high volatility and slight decline”. The market played a fierce game of long and short forces, and the supply and demand sides presented a pattern of “tight supply but periodic looseness, weak demand and no obvious increase”. Coupled with limited transmission of international market warming, the price of antimony ingots ultimately fell slightly.
International market: multiple factors providing support for volatility and stabilization
The overall trend of international antimony prices continuing to rebound this cycle is somewhat linked to the domestic market, but the upward space is limited. The overseas market is affected by geopolitical disturbances and potential supply side contraction, resulting in a fluctuating upward trend in prices. The release of essential procurement has provided some support to the market. At the same time, some overseas mining operations are restricted, which also provides bottom support for international antimony prices. However, the overall global terminal demand is weak, and there is a shortage of orders in downstream industries overseas. Coupled with the cautious mentality of some market entities after the price correction in the early stage, the international antimony price lacks upward momentum, and the overall high volatility pattern is maintained. The linkage between domestic and foreign markets has been strengthened, but the transmission effect is relatively limited.
Supply side: overall rigidity is relatively tight, stage wise looseness
The domestic supply of antimony ingots in this cycle presents the characteristics of “overall tightness and phased looseness”, with both core support and short-term drag factors coexisting. From the perspective of raw material supply, domestic antimony mining is subject to the dual constraints of stricter environmental control and tightened mining quotas. Small mines in major production areas such as Hunan and Guangxi have a higher proportion of closures, and the decline in resource grade in core mining areas has led to an increase in mining costs, making it difficult to achieve substantial growth in production; Although the import volume of antimony ore and concentrate increased significantly year-on-year in the first quarter, the import increment did not meet market expectations due to supply fluctuations from major importing countries such as Russia and Myanmar, making it difficult to effectively alleviate the domestic raw material shortage. On the production side, the domestic antimony ingot production increased significantly in March compared to the previous month, leading to a slight accumulation of market inventory in early April. Some smelting enterprises maintained low operating rates due to previous profit compression and unstable raw material supply, and a few even chose to reduce production to avoid risks. In terms of market mentality, leading companies in the industry have maintained firm quotations, and most holders of goods adhere to a high price stance. However, some small and medium-sized merchants have been affected by risk aversion and have engaged in profitable shipping behavior, with low-priced goods flowing into the market, further exacerbating price fluctuations and causing a certain drag on the current antimony price. In addition, the new gold facility in Hunan has been put into operation in the first quarter of 2026, adding effective production capacity. Although it has not been fully released in the short term, it will gradually change the domestic supply pattern in the long term.
Demand side: Weakness as the main core, insufficient downstream support
Flame retardant materials account for about 55% of the traditional downstream demand for antimony, while glass accounts for about 15%. Antimony is an essential element in photovoltaic glass production and cannot be replaced. With the continuous development of China’s photovoltaic industry, the main increment of antimony metal in the future will be in the photovoltaic field.

The sustained weakness in demand is the core cause of the slight decline in antimony prices in the current period. Among them, the photovoltaic and antimony oxide related fields, as the core sectors of antimony demand, have performed less than expected, and the overall purchasing atmosphere is light, making it difficult to form effective support for the market.
Antimony oxide: As the core deep processing product of the antimony industry chain, antimony oxide is the mainstream category, mainly used in the field of flame retardants, and also extended to photovoltaic glass, electronic materials and other scenarios. Its market trend is strongly linked with antimony ingots. The continued disturbance of geopolitical conflicts after the year has driven up the prices of related products such as plastics and bromine, resulting in a sharp increase in cost pressure in the flame retardant industry and a significant decline in order volume. As a flame retardant synergist, the demand for antimony oxide is highly linked to the flame retardant industry. Due to the decline in downstream orders, the demand for antimony oxide has also weakened, and related companies have a strong wait-and-see attitude towards procurement, resulting in few actual transactions. In addition, although the demand for traditional antimony oxide applications such as lead-acid batteries and polyester catalysts has remained stable, there has not been a significant increase, making it difficult to offset the decline in demand in core areas. At the same time, domestic antimony product exports have not shown a significant rebound, coupled with the supply-demand mismatch caused by the increase in raw material imports in the first quarter, further suppressing the demand confidence in the antimony oxide field.
Photovoltaic: As a core demand area for antimony ingots, the photovoltaic glass industry has recently shown weak performance, which has significantly dragged down the demand for antimony products. Since April, orders in the photovoltaic glass industry have been consistently low, with production and sales rates remaining low for a long time. The industry’s inventory has continued to accumulate, reaching a high of nearly 50 days. Some companies have planned to suspend production and maintenance to alleviate inventory pressure. Affected by this, the procurement strategy of enterprises for antimony products such as sodium antimonate tends to be conservative, only maintaining basic essential inventory replenishment, without large-scale new procurement plans, and with a serious shortage of new demand, it is difficult to hedge the downward pressure on antimony prices.
Market outlook: Taking into account both supply and demand as well as international market dynamics, the domestic antimony ingot market is expected to maintain a stable but weak trend with narrow fluctuations in the short term. Factors such as the rebound in international antimony prices, tight domestic supply, and rising prices from leading enterprises will provide bottom support for prices; However, factors such as slow recovery of downstream demand, high inventory in core downstream industries, and market risk aversion will limit the upward space for prices. In the medium term, if the overseas geopolitical situation eases and overseas and domestic demand gradually recovers, antimony prices are expected to stabilize and fluctuate strongly; If demand remains weak and low-priced goods continue to flow out, it cannot be ruled out that prices may continue to decline slightly. In the future, it is necessary to focus on the overseas geopolitical situation, the progress of destocking in the photovoltaic glass industry, downstream purchasing sentiment, and the release of production capacity by leading enterprises.

1、 Trend analysis
According to the monitoring of nickel prices by Shengyi Society, nickel prices have fluctuated and fallen this week. As of the weekend, the spot nickel price was 135333.3 yuan/ton, a decrease of 0.23% from the beginning of the week and a year-on-year increase of 10.65%.
Nickel weekly fluctuation chart
According to the weekly chart of Shengyi Society, in the past 12 weeks, nickel prices have fallen 6 times and risen 5 times, with a recent weak decline in nickel prices.
Nickel industry chain
Macroscopically, the ADP employment figures in the United States increased by 62000 in March, higher than the market expectation of 40000 and roughly the same as last month’s 63000. Coal, originally scheduled to be implemented on April 1, 2026. The nickel export tariff plan is still awaiting the results of joint research between the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and the Ministry of Finance.
On the supply side, China’s refined nickel production in March was 37337 tons, an increase of 14.53% month on month and 1.83% year-on-year. The estimated refined nickel production in China for April is 38830 tons, an increase of 4.00% month on month and 6.53% year-on-year
On the demand side: There has been no significant improvement on the demand side, with downstream demand maintaining a pace of rigid procurement, and overall spot transactions being sluggish. The overall demand for downstream electroplating is relatively stable, and it is difficult to see growth in the later stage; The consumption of alloys is gradually recovering, with good demand for alloys in military and shipping industries. The weak performance of stainless steel highlights the mentality of steel mills to suppress raw material prices; The high price of MHP provides support for the cost of nickel sulfate, but there is no significant increase in downstream ternary precursor orders, with nickel sulfate prices mainly fluctuating.
In summary, due to the impact of geopolitical conflicts, the shipping costs of nickel mines in the Philippines have significantly increased, and the bidding prices for Philippine mines have continued to rise. The supply pressure of refined nickel remains unchanged, and the expected production of Indonesia’s wet smelting project in April has recovered, indicating sufficient market resources. The price of high nickel pig iron is stable but slightly strong, with some low-priced shipments on the trading side, but the high cost of iron mills provides a bottom line for the price. The short-term shutdown of wet process plants in Indonesia reduces short-term supply, and the high price of MHP supports the cost of nickel sulfate. The weak downstream demand for ternary materials drives the fluctuation of nickel sulfate prices. The performance of domestic and foreign markets is differentiated, with mild destocking overseas and continued stockpiling domestically, while domestic exports continue to be hindered. Overall, macro expectations are still fluctuating, and market concerns about raw materials have weakened. However, Indonesia’s policy attitude has not changed significantly, and cost support still exists. The combination of actual supply pressure and insufficient inventory digestion constraints is expected to maintain a range of fluctuations in nickel prices.