On the first day after the holiday, major mainstream phenol markets in China rose, but then the market fell back, and overall prices remained unchanged compared to before the holiday. According to data monitored by Business Society, the domestic phenol market price was 7770 yuan/ton on February 4th, but fell back to 7750 yuan/ton on February 7th, with a weekly fluctuation of 0.9% or 90 yuan/ton.

On the eve of the Spring Festival holiday, the trend of pure benzene is relatively strong, supported by favorable cost factors, and phenol traders are tentatively reporting high prices. There is not much pressure on the spot supply of phenol. On the first day after the holiday, traders generally raised prices, but the pace of factory entry into the market is relatively slow. Some factories have postponed production, and downstream end users have made many inquiries and actual orders for replenishment, resulting in low trading volume.

On the supply side, the operating rate of phenol ketone enterprises after the holiday is 83%. In terms of imports, as of February 7th, the shipment volume of phenol in East China was 16200 tons, with 6000 tons already reached and 10000 tons still in transit.

On February 7th, the phenol offers in various mainstream markets across the country were as follows:

Region/ Quotation on February 7th/ Zhou’s ups and downs

East China region/ 7700./ -20

Shandong region/ 7750./ -20

Surrounding areas of Yanshan Mountain/ 7750./ -20

South China region/ 7800./ -50

From the perspective of Business Society, the domestic phenol market is expected to experience narrow fluctuations next week. In the short term, there is not much pressure on spot supply, and downstream factories will resume work one after another next week. The inquiry volume may increase, but most of it will be for urgent needs replenishment. In addition, considering factors such as cost and average price, traders are cautious in raising prices and will focus on the development of the demand side in the later stage.