Chemical Prices Today (September 4, 2026): Daily Market Trends & Price Changes

Basic chemicals remained broadly firm, with Acetic acid and Acetic anhydride rising 1.42% and 0.87% daily, supported by low producer inventories and continued upward adjustments in regional offers. This supply-side tightness, together with higher upstream Methanol costs, provided a clear cost-push explanation for the strength in both products. Methanol itself edged up 0.21% daily and gained 12.47% weekly and 20.88% monthly, as falling port and producer inventories, limited import recovery, and planned maintenance supported the market. However, the restart of some maintenance units and weaker traditional downstream operating rates suggest that further upside may be more limited. Ethylene glycol advanced 2.05% daily, 5.85% weekly, and 17.39% monthly, with concentrated plant maintenance, disrupted Middle Eastern imports, and low port inventories providing the main supply-side support. Nevertheless, declining polyester operating rates and weak downstream price transmission indicate that the market remains vulnerable to high-level consolidation. In contrast, Ethyl acetate fell 1.92% daily despite continued support from higher upstream Acetic acid prices, suggesting that cost support has not yet translated into stronger spot demand. Overall, the market remains driven more by supply tightness and cost support than by broad-based downstream demand, while recent gains in several products point to an increasingly cautious high-price environment.

Fine Chemicals showed a highly differentiated market, with most products remaining stable while a few supply-sensitive or short-term procurement-driven products experienced sharp price movements. Dimethyl carbonate rose 5.24% daily, extending its weekly and monthly gains to 8.83% and 20.06%, respectively. Recent market information pointed to reduced operating rates, production-unit maintenance, and firm demand from electrolyte-solvent applications as the main sources of support, suggesting that the current strength reflects more than a single-day rebound. In contrast, Potassium citrate fell 8.10% daily despite a 1.74% monthly gain, indicating a short-term correction after earlier supply tightness and replenishment-driven increases rather than a confirmed reversal of the broader trend. Poly(ethylene glycol) declined 11.11% daily and 5.80% monthly, while Potassium sorbate surged 32.45% daily, making it the most notable price anomaly in the group. However, the available information does not yet provide sufficient direct evidence to attribute either move to a specific production disruption or demand shock, so these changes should be treated as product-specific repricing signals requiring further verification. Meanwhile, Citric acid, Glycolic acid, Hydroquinone, Lactic acid, Sodium acetate, and most other listed products remained unchanged, suggesting that downstream purchasing remained selective and that the market was not experiencing broad-based demand acceleration. Overall, the Fine Chemicals market continued to be driven more by individual product supply conditions, inventory levels, and short-term procurement activity than by a uniform industry-wide trend. The near-term outlook therefore remains mixed: products with sustained supply-side support may continue to trade firmly, while products without a clear catalyst are more likely to remain range-bound or experience short-term corrections.

Energy, Plastics, Rubber, and Other Chemicals showed a firm but highly differentiated market, with energy products leading the broader gains while plastics and rubber materials responded unevenly to higher costs and supply-side constraints. In the Energy market, WTI Crude Oil rose 4.76% weekly and 9.76% monthly, while Gasoline gained 5.58% weekly and 10.45% monthly. Recent market reports linked the oil rally to renewed U.S.-Iran tensions, risks to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and concerns over Middle East supply disruptions. This provided a clear cost and supply-risk explanation for the strength in Asphalt, which rose 1.24% daily, 9.25% weekly, and 16.55% monthly. In Plastics, ABS remained strong, gaining 5.60% weekly and 11.52% monthly, while PVC advanced 3.21% daily, 6.83% weekly, and 7.06% monthly. Recent PVC market data showed broad-based increases in regional spot prices, with Asian export quotations also rising, suggesting that higher costs were being reinforced by tighter spot availability and improved export pricing. However, HDPE fell 0.80% daily despite weekly and monthly gains of 1.96% and 3.28%, indicating that cost support has not translated into uniform short-term demand strength across all plastic products. In Rubber, Carbon Black rose 5.32% daily and 8.03% monthly, supported by high coal-tar feedstock costs, environmental restrictions, maintenance-related supply reductions, and replenishment demand from tire manufacturers. This was a clearer supply-driven move than the broader plastics rally, while Silica remained unchanged daily and gained only 1.53% monthly, highlighting the divergence within the rubber-material segment. In Other Chemicals, most products remained stable, while Anthracite surged 11.11% daily but remained down 6.69% weekly and 0.35% monthly, suggesting a short-term rebound rather than a confirmed upward trend. Overall, the market remained supported by higher energy costs and selective supply-side tightening, but the divergence between products indicates that downstream demand and inventory conditions are still limiting the breadth of the rally. The near-term outlook therefore remains firm for supply-sensitive products such as Asphalt, PVC, ABS, and Carbon Black, while products without clear supply or demand catalysts are more likely to remain range-bound or experience short-term corrections.

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