[Soda ash] Soda ash Weekly Review: The market has a strong wait-and-see attitude and some prices are discussed on a single basis

1. Analysis of China's soda ash market

This week, China's soda ash market is temporarily operating steadily. As of now, the price of light soda ash in China is between 2,100 - 2,250 yuan/ton, and the price of heavy soda ash is between 2,200 - 2,350 yuan/ton. During the week, individual soda ash companies began to maintain equipment maintenance, and the market operating rate has dropped slightly; soda ash companies have some orders in hand, and manufacturers have slightly gone to the warehouse. The production and sales of the soda ash market are basically balanced; the downstream market demand is basically stable, but the purchasing sentiment is still relatively cautious, and the need for purchasing is maintained; However, due to the arrival of part of imported soda ash in Hong Kong and the ignition of downstream photovoltaic glass production, the sentiment towards spot purchase of soda ash weakened, the spot price of soda ash fluctuated, and some transaction prices were negotiated on a single basis.

In terms of futures, soda ash prices remained mainly volatile after the holiday. Supply-side maintenance companies have repeated, and the dynamic supply-demand relationship is still tightening. However, high-priced raw materials have also had an impact on downstream procurement efforts, making it difficult for the market to provide further positive feedback. Market sentiment has cooled down accordingly, but the conditions for reversal have not yet been reached. In the short term, it may remain wide-ranging fluctuations and wait for the start.

Forecast for next week: Some enterprises still have maintenance arrangements this month, and market supply is still expected to shrink; Currently, manufacturers have basically placed orders until the end of the month, but the signing of new orders has weakened. The pressure of high-priced shipments is high, and the situation of low-priced transactions is still good; Downstream companies have a strong wait-and-see attitude and maintain a just need to purchase. In the later period, imported soda ash still arrives in Hong Kong one after another, which may have another impact on the spot soda ash price. The market sentiment is weak, and soda ash prices may be mainly fluctuating downward.

2. 纯碱地区市场价格对比

Unit: yuan/ton

3.纯碱工艺利润表

本周截至May 16，combined alkali method利润759.5元/吨，环比上周上涨31.5元/吨；ammonia-soda process利润450元/吨，环比上周持平。

4. Equipment maintenance of soda ash enterprises

This week, the soda ash industry started about 85.00%, down 1.35% from last week. According to incomplete statistics, the output of soda ash manufacturers this week is about 705,000 tons.

5.纯碱厂家库存量

本周中国纯碱厂家总库存88.70万吨，上周89.30万吨左右，环比下降0.6万吨，降幅0.68%。