The market for ortho xylene rose in the first quarter

According to the Commodity Market Analysis System of Shengyishe, as of March 31st, the price of ortho xylene was 8100 yuan/ton, an increase of 6.58% compared to the price of ortho xylene on January 1st, which was 7600 yuan/ton. In the first quarter, the trend of ortho benzene continued to rise at the end of 2023. Starting from February, the trend of ortho benzene growth slowed down, and the price of ortho benzene temporarily stabilized from March to April.

Mixed xylene fluctuates and rises, while the cost of ortho xylene increases; The price of phthalic anhydride has fluctuated and fallen, with plasticizers operating at a high level. The phthalic anhydride market is weak and stabilizing, and the demand for ortho xylene is weak. The demand support for rising costs is limited. In the first quarter, the ortho xylene market rose, but in March, the ortho xylene market remained stagnant, and in April, the upward momentum for ortho xylene increased.

The price of mixed xylene raw materials fluctuates and rises

According to the mixed xylene commodity market analysis system of Business Society, as of April 7th, the quoted price of mixed xylene was 7710 yuan/ton, an increase of 10.62% from the price of mixed xylene on January 1st, which was 6970 yuan/ton; Compared to March 31st, the price of mixed xylene increased by 2.53% to 7520 yuan/ton. In January, the price of mixed xylene continued to rise, while in February and March, the price of mixed xylene stabilized strongly; In early April, mixed xylene saw a significant increase. The expected decrease in mixed xylene supply in the second quarter is evident in the support of the mixed xylene market. And crude oil prices continue to rise, mixed xylene prices rise, and the cost of ortho benzene increases.

Downstream prices of phthalic anhydride are weakly consolidating

According to the market analysis system for phthalic anhydride products by Business Society, as of April 7th, the quoted price of phthalic anhydride was 7612.50 yuan/ton, an increase of 0.33% compared to March 31st when the price of phthalic anhydride was 7587.50 yuan/ton; Compared to the price of 7662.50 yuan/ton on January 1st, the price of phthalic anhydride has decreased by 0.65%. In the first quarter, domestic phthalic anhydride plants operated steadily, with sufficient spot supply of phthalic anhydride. The purchasing situation of phthalic anhydride manufacturers was average, and the production of plasticizers was at a high level. The expected production of plasticizers in April decreased, and the demand for phthalic anhydride in the future market was expected to be weak, leading to a consolidation of phthalic anhydride prices in the future.

Future prospects

According to analysts from Business Society’s neighboring xylene data, in terms of cost, crude oil prices continue to rise, coupled with an increase in mixed xylene maintenance in the second quarter, the price of mixed xylene fluctuated and rose in the second quarter, leading to an increase in the cost of neighboring xylene; The expected start of plasticizer production in the second quarter has decreased, and downstream phthalic anhydride manufacturers are generally selling goods. The phthalic anhydride market is weak and temporarily stable, and the demand for ortho xylene remains weak. In the future, the demand support for rising costs is limited, and the upward momentum of the ortho benzene market still exists. It is expected that the ortho benzene price will fluctuate and rise in the future.