Chinese suppliers, meanwhile, have been cautious in adjusting export offers, relying on declining freight rates to maintain competitiveness. However, with domestic demand in China remaining sluggish, sellers are expected to continue prioritising exports.
Trading sentiment on the Shenhua Auction Platform weakened further, weighed down by sharp losses on the Dalian Commodity Exchange. In response, the coal-based producer lowered auction prices for both homo-PP and LLDPE by CNY30/ton from the previous session.
Chinese homo-PP exporters adopted divergent pricing strategies this week, underscoring a fragmented response to a highly volatile market. While some sellers raised prices to offset exchange rate fluctuations, others opted for price cuts to secure transactions
Trading sentiment on the Shenhua Auction Platform deteriorated noticeably compared to the previous session, with LLDPE transaction volumes slipping below 40% by the close. Market sources attribute the decline primarily to the narrowing price gap between spot and auction prices
Shandong Yulong concluded its latest auction session with solid results, partly supported by the producer's responsive pricing strategy, with downward adjustments aimed at counterbalancing the prevailing weak sentiment in the domestic market.