In 2018, the titanium ore market showed the characteristics of high opening and low going. The price in the first quarter was the highest in the whole year, then slowly fell, and the price at the end of the year was the lowest in the whole year. At the beginning of the first quarter, the declining trend of the titanium market at the end of 2017 was eased, and began to rebound slightly at the end of the first quarter, ranging from 20 to 50 yuan per ton. After entering the second quarter, due to the rapid growth of supply, the price of titanium ore has fallen, and the momentum of decline has continued until the end of 2018.

According to Ruidao data, the average price of ilmenite fell by about 150 yuan/ton at the end of 2018 compared with the beginning of the year. In addition, compared with the previous two years, another feature of the titanium market in 2018 is that the volatility is smaller. According to Ruidao data, in 2016, the difference between the highest price and the lowest price of mainstream titanium ore is close to 1000 yuan/ton, and in 2017 it is about 700 yuan/ton, while in 2018 it is about 250 yuan/ton. The relative stability of raw material price is conducive to the healthy development of the industry.

From the point of view of supply and demand, both supply and demand in the titanium ore market increased in 2018. The growth rate at the supply side was greater than that at the demand side, and the titanium ore inventory increased significantly in 2018. From the perspective of supply structure, it is estimated that the amount of imported ilmenite in 2018 will be almost the same as that in 2017, and the increase of supply will mainly come from the domestic sector. The growth of domestic titanium ore mainly comes from Sichuan and Xinjiang. Among them, the output of Panzhihua area in Sichuan province was reduced by environmental protection factors, but the degree of impact in 2018 was significantly weaker than in 2017; the increase of titanium mineral production in Xinjiang region was due to the new start of mining projects in 2018. According to preliminary statistics of Switzerland, the supply of titanium ore in 2018 is about 5% more than the demand. In the case of excess total supply, the user’s freedom of choice increases, and some low-quality imported titanium ores are difficult to obtain customer orders. The market extrusion effect is obvious.

From the market performance at the end of 2018, some titanium enterprises have intentionally controlled the import volume and output. On the import of titanium ore, Bess resources will reduce the supply of titanium ore in the Chinese market in 2019; on the domestic side, Panzhihua area is affected by the sharp fall in the price of vanadium ilmenite and the local government launched “blue protection” measures. Some local mines will reduce or stop production on New Year’s Day in 2019, and enterprises that have stopped production plan to postpone production until after the Spring Festival. It can be predicted that in January 2019, the domestic supply side of titanium ore will decline, which will be conducive to the maintenance of market prices.

In 2018, the Sponge Titanium Market continued to maintain a good boom in 2017. It is estimated that the domestic production of titanium sponge will increase by more than 7% in 2018, while the production will increase, the price will remain at a relatively high level. As can be seen from the price trend chart, the price of sponge titanium in 2018 is on the rise all year round, and this trend is expected to continue until the first quarter of 2019.

In the first half of 2018, the price of titanium sponge rose relatively smoothly, but after entering the third quarter, the production of titanium tetrachloride declined due to environmental factors, and the price of titanium sponge rose rapidly. Unlike the previous year’s price fluctuations, the price of sponge titanium did not fluctuate significantly in the second half of 2018, mainly due to the shortage of raw materials, resulting in a decline in the production of sponge titanium. After the soaring price of sponge titanium in the past year, the start-up rate of sponge titanium enterprises has also increased, resulting in excess market supply and rapid price decline, which makes it difficult for the whole cycle market to continue for more than three months. After the price rise in 2018, the price of sponge titanium has been running at a high level for a long time due to the restriction of the production of sponge titanium. Some people in the industry have not noticed this new situation, and still use the previous wrong experience to think that the price increase will soon fall back. The author believes that the price of titanium sponge will remain high until the normal supply of titanium tetrachloride or the expansion of chlorination capacity of sponge titanium enterprises.

In fact, the price rise of sponge titanium in 2018 was mainly driven by cost, and the demand side improved after July, which laid the foundation for the upward trend of the price in 2018. At the beginning of 2018, when the price of titanium tetrachloride began to rise, sponge titanium enterprises did not have enough cost transfer capacity. It was not until March 2018 that sponge titanium companies began to try to offset cost pressures by raising prices.

In 2018, the long-term high price of sponge titanium also made people feel hot in the sponge titanium market, but in fact, the profitability of sponge titanium enterprises in 2018 is slightly better than that in 2017, but the increase is limited. The main reason is that the cost of raw materials has risen sharply. In addition to titanium tetrachloride, magnesium ingot prices also increased significantly in 2018, which led to the increase in sponge titanium prices offset by the increase in raw material prices, and limited real profit margins. On the other hand, the affordability of the downstream market also restricts the price of titanium sponge. In the second half of 2018, the domestic titanium market improved somewhat, but the price increase was relatively slow and could not bear the high price of sponge titanium, which to some extent constrained the price increase of sponge titanium.

The trend of increasingly stringent environmental standards will be irreversible, which will lead to the domestic supply of titanium tetrachloride to become normal. In view of this, at present, Zunyi Titanium Industry is gradually restoring the production capacity of titanium tetrachloride, and several other new sponge titanium projects are also full-process projects. Depending on the enterprise itself to ensure the supply of titanium tetrachloride has become the development direction. When these projects are put into operation, the bottleneck of sponge titanium supply will be broken through, and how to maintain the balance between supply and demand in the sponge titanium market will become a new topic.

In addition to the titanium tetrachloride industry, the titanium processing industry in 2018 has also been “cared for” by environmental inspection. Unlike most people’s perception, titanium processing industry was not only affected by environmental protection inspection, but also had a deep impact. Of course, there are many reasons, but this also reminds the industry that environmental friendliness is the prerequisite for the healthy and long-term development of any industry, and can not be excluded because of the small amount of pollution. The environmental protection inspection in Shaanxi in 2018 is just the beginning. Local governments and enterprises need to enhance their environmental awareness. If they do not change their ideas and still cope with the situation in an attitude of coping with the situation, they will suffer again in the future. Perhaps the titanium dioxide industry can provide some lessons from the past. Since 2016, the industry of titanium dioxide has been affected by environmental factors. In 2017, the impact is the most profound. The total output of the industry is restricted by environmental factors, reducing by more than 10%. In 2018, some enterprises have completed the upgrading of environmental protection facilities successively, and then the impact of environmental protection inspection has been significantly reduced. However, some enterprises with unfavorable environmental protection facilities have been continuously restricted in production, further reduced production, and have the trend of being excluded from the market. In view of the fact that some small enterprises have to set up environmental protection facilities separately and the heavy economic burden, they need the assistance of the local government to set up a unified sewage system. Maybe it will take some time to build a new park, but it is better to be late than not.

In 2018, the titanium industry has also ushered in a year of full recovery. Large-scale new projects are emerging. Many regional governments have established industrial bases in order to occupy the highland of this new material field and complete the regional industrial upgrading. In the sponge titanium industry, Pangang sponge titanium plant completed expansion transformation, Zunyi titanium industry successfully relocated as a whole, Shuangruiwanji new project construction completed and partially put into production, together with Sichuan and Xinjiang two new sponge titanium plants completed and preliminary trial production, making the industry enter the expansion period again after 2012. In the titanium industry, Panzhihua, Yunnan, Chongqing, Henan and other places are building new titanium industry bases. Among them, Panzhihua mainly introduces titanium processing enterprises, and relying on the advantages of local mineral resources and sponge titanium origin, strives to make up for the last piece of “jigsaw” in the industrial chain.

Based on the advantages of local non-ferrous metal processing industry, especially in mineral resources, the Yunnan Provincial Government has vigorously supported the development of titanium industry in Chuxiong Prefecture and promoted the new industrial ecology featuring green development. Based on the introduction of talents, technology and capital, Chongqing relies on the industry cluster of “transportation aviation + general aviation, helicopter + fixed wing + unmanned aerial vehicle, manufacturing + operation + service” initially formed in the locality, and strives to build a domestic high-end aviation titanium alloy R&D and manufacturing center. The government of Luoyang City, Henan Province has launched six new policies, which focus on attracting talents and social capital effectively, paving the way for the introduction of talents and striving to build the Titanium Valley of Central Plains. It can be said that after the past five years of depression and dormancy, China’s titanium industry recovered strongly in 2018, sponge titanium production capacity expanded again, high-end titanium project investment continued to increase. With the construction of new projects, a new round of investment in capital, technology and talent will accelerate a new round of industrial upgrading. In the future, the pattern of titanium industry in China will meet new changes.

According to Reuters news agency Oslo January 7, the Norwegian Petroleum Authority (NPD) said on Monday that the reserves of Norway’s Oda oilfield, operated by Spirit Energy, had been reduced by 30%.

The oil field is expected to start operation in February or March, with an estimated reserves of 33 million barrels of oil equivalent, lower than the 48 million barrels estimated in the development plan submitted to Norwegian authorities by the major shareholder Centrica in 2016.

Centrica owns 69% of Spirit Energy, while Stadtwerke Muenchen in Germany owns the remaining 31%.

NPD spokesman said this was the latest estimate and operators were continuing to assess the size of reserves.

Located in the southern part of the Norwegian North Sea block, the field will be developed using a submarine backup facility connected to the Ula oilfield operated by Aker BP.

Partners under the Oda license include Aker BP, Suncor Energy and Faroe Oil, which plan to sell gas for injection in Ula and export oil to Teesside in the UK.

On October 21st, the PX Commodity Index was 88.00, which was the same as yesterday. It was 14.06% lower than the highest point in the cycle of 102.40 points (2013-02-28), which was 93.19% higher than the lowest point of 45.55 on February 15, 2016. (Note: Period refers to 2013-02-01 to date)

Recently, the domestic p-xylene market price remained at a high level. The on-site installation of Pengzhou Petrochemical was overhauled. The Urumqi petrochemical plant started 50%. The Tenglong aromatics plant has been in operation. Other devices are temporarily operating stably and the domestic paraxylene market is normal. The operating rate of PX devices in Asia is less than 70%. On October 19th, the closing price of p-xylene in Asia fell by US$2/ton, and the closing price was US$1239-1241/ton FOB Korea and US$1259-1261/ton CFR China,10 On the 19th, the US WTI crude oil futures market price in December rose to 69.28 US dollars / barrel, or 0.57 US dollars, Brent crude oil December futures prices rose to 79.78 US dollars / barrel, or 0.49 US dollars, upstream crude oil prices Before the decline, the price of paraxylene external disk fell sharply, but the domestic PX market price fluctuated at a high level. Recently, the textile industry’s market trend has declined, the downstream PTA market price has fallen, PTA prices have continued to fall in the near future, and the average price in the East China region has been raised from around 7,600-7,700 yuan/ton. By the end of the 19th, the domestic PTA operating rate was around 73%, plus downstream. The production and sales market is generally low, and the PTA market price is declining. It is expected that the PX market price will stabilize slightly in the later period.

According to the data monitoring of the business community, on October 11, the average price of acetic anhydride enterprises was 7750.00 yuan/ton, which was stable compared with the previous trading day.

The commercial price index of acetic anhydride on October 10 was 153.60, which was the same as yesterday. It was 7.32% lower than the highest point of 165.73 points (2018-06-19) in the cycle, which was 86.00% higher than the lowest point of 82.58 on September 20, 2016. (Note: Period refers to 2013-02-01 to date).

On October 11, the domestic price of acetic anhydride was stable, and the market transaction price was temporarily stable. In most areas, the factory price is 7550-7950 yuan / ton, the actual transaction price is temporarily stable, the actual transaction price is about 7450-7600 yuan / ton, the market price is the reference price, the actual transaction price is subject to actual negotiation.

Recently, the price of raw material acetic acid has risen, and the price of raw material methanol has fluctuated. The overall cost of acetic anhydride manufacturers has risen, which is good for the price of acetic anhydride. Downstream customers are actively stocking up, and the demand for acetic anhydride is rising in the short term, which supports the price of acetic anhydride and forms a positive effect on acetic anhydride. Acetic anhydride manufacturers have lower stocks and are good for acetic anhydride.

Market outlook: In general, the rise in raw materials led to an increase in the price of acetic anhydride, and the enthusiasm of downstream customers for stocking was acceptable. The short-term demand was high, which formed a certain positive demand. The acetic anhydride manufacturers had lower stocks and the acetic anhydride was more favorable. However, because the price of acetic anhydride is at a historically high level, the pressure on downstream procurement costs is high, which limits the increase of acetic anhydride. It is expected that the price of acetic anhydride will rise slightly.

First, the price trend

This week, the domestic DME market fell slightly. At the beginning of the week, the average domestic market price of DME was 5013.75 yuan/ton, and the average weekend price was 4961.25 yuan/ton. The weekly increase was 3.62%, and the price increased by 29.17% compared with the same period of last year.

Second, the market analysis

Products: This week, the DME market fell slightly, and the overall market atmosphere was average. Hebei Yutai dimethyl ether plant was shut down for maintenance on September 13 and has not been opened yet. Henan Lankao Huitong drove to resume the offer on June 16. As of September 21, Henan Lancao Huitong dimethyl ether ex-factory price was 4,530 yuan / ton, Henan Yima Xinyuan dimethyl ether ex-factory price was 4,590 yuan / ton, Hebei Hunchun Chemical Co., Ltd. dimethyl ether ex-factory price was 4,820 yuan / ton The ex-factory price of DME of Shengdeyuan Company of Shandong Dezhou is 4780 yuan/ton, and the ex-factory price of dimethyl ether of Shanxi Orchid Technology Technology Co., Ltd. is 4550 yuan/ton.

Industry chain: This week, the domestic methanol market rose in a narrow range. At the beginning of the week, the average domestic methanol market price was 3227 yuan/ton, and the weekend reported 3255 yuan/ton. During the week, the price rose 0.85%, and the price rose 18.93% compared with the same period of last year. This week, the domestic LPG market price rose first and then fell, slightly adjusted. At the beginning of the week, the average price of domestic LPG market was 4,990 yuan/ton, and the average weekend price was 4,977.75 yuan/ton. The weekly decline was 0.23%, and the price rose 26.04% compared with the same period of last year. The overall price trend of the dimethyl ether market was down, and the pre-holiday replenishment forecast was weakened. Individual companies were significantly short-selled due to unbearable inventory pressure. Lack of raw material price support and drag on the inventory and demand side, the end user’s trading mentality has gradually returned to caution.

Industry: According to the price monitoring of the business community, in the 37th week of 2018 (9.10-9.14), there were 13 kinds of commodities in the energy sector that rose in the energy sector. Among them, one of the products with a price increase of more than 5%, accounting for the sector. The number of commodities monitored was 6.3%; the top 3 commodities were LNG (6.67%), fuel oil (3.73%) and dimethyl ether (3.62%). There were 2 kinds of commodities with a decrease in the chain ratio, and the top 2 products were coke (-2.19%) and petroleum coke (-2.07%). This week’s average price increase was 1.44%.

Third, the market outlook

The dimethyl ether analyst of the business community believes that with the downstream demergers digesting the inventory, the later DME enterprises will face multiple pressures such as inventory and sales. The pre-holiday replenishment expectation is obviously weakened, and the manufacturer’s price is continuously lowered. It is expected that the market outlook is still likely to decline.

First, the price data:

According to the monitoring data of the business community’s big list, the domestic price of bromine is strong at this week. The average price at the beginning of the week is around 30,000 yuan/ton, and the weekend price is 30,312 yuan/ton. It rose slightly by 1.04% during the week, up slightly by 0.13 from the same period of last year. %.

Second, the cause analysis

Products: At present, due to the classification of the second-class precursors and environmental protection security factors, the operating rate of bromine production enterprises has been low for a long time and the inventory of enterprises has been exhausted or retained for long-term customers. The supply in the industry is very difficult. In terms of start-up, for example, Changshao households salted 5,000 tons/year of equipment and produced 2-3 tons per day, Longmao bromine 3,000 tons/year of equipment produced about 5 tons per day, Shandong Haihua 5,000 tons/year of equipment produced about 12-15 tons per day. Shandong Haiwang Chemical’s 200 million tons/year plant started 50%. The bromine production enterprises in Shouguang area have stopped production and will cancel the production qualifications of some enterprises in the future.

Industry chain: This week, the upstream industrial chain of bromine has shown an upward trend. For example, sulfur has risen sharply by 3.72% this week, and the current price is about 1,301 yuan/ton; caustic soda has risen by 0.76% in the week, and the current price is about 1036 yuan/ton; soda ash This week’s increase slightly by 0.79%, the current price is about 1832 yuan / ton; sulfuric acid prices rose by 5.52% during the week, the current offer is about 477 yuan / ton. The downstream market of bromine has gradually improved with the seasonal changes. Due to the difficulty in supplying bromine, enterprises have queued for purchases; the pharmaceutical and intermediate industries have performed well and demand has been stable.

Third, the market outlook

The bromine industry analysts of the business community believe that at present, the supply of bromine is difficult to improve in a short period of time. The downstream major users have recently improved, the market is gradually picking up, the supply of bromine is in short supply, and the price of bromine is expected to stabilize in the future. In the middle.

First, the price trend

According to the price monitoring of the business community, the domestic methanol market has been going all the way up this week. The average domestic methanol market price was 3035 yuan/ton at the beginning of the week, and the weekend was 3133 yuan/ton. The weekly increase was 3.25%, and the price rose 15.13% over the same period of last year.

Second, the market analysis

Product: This week, the domestic methanol market continued its upward trend. Futures Masukura up, the market rallied sharply, coupled with the rise of the mainland, the port methanol market consolidation, it is expected that the performance will be acceptable in the short-term period; attention to port inventory and disk trend. The Mainland as a whole continued to move upwards and the trading atmosphere performed better. Temporary parking in a certain facility in Shandong, limited production in Shanxi, partial maintenance in the main producing areas, and expected, resource supply in some areas is intensified. Under the low inventory of the manufacturers and the need for downstream procurement, the market supply and demand performance is better. It is expected that the domestic methanol market will continue in the short term. strong. According to incomplete statistics, as of September 6, 2018, the total social inventory of methanol in the two major ports of East China and South China was 609,300 tons, with a weekly increase of 50,800 tons.

Industry chain: Formaldehyde: Domestic formaldehyde just needs to be shipped, and the overall atmosphere is normal. The raw material methanol continues to rise, and the cost is supported by the surface. Dimethyl ether: Some enterprises have tried their upside due to the unfavorable cost pressure, and the end-users have exhausted their inventory in the early stage. Under the influence of the company’s push-up stimulus, they have once again concentrated their purchases. The overall price of the domestic DME market has risen widely. Acetic acid: The domestic glacial acetic acid market is rising steadily. Henan enterprise stocks fell to a low level, so the offer was raised. The inventory of North China and East China enterprises are not high. Downstream buying just needed, and the price of acetic acid rose, and some of the contradictions were stronger. At present, the industry pays more attention to the maintenance of the later devices, and the mentality in the field is more cautious.

Others: Domestic methanol freight rates have been limited recently, and individual regions have risen and fallen. Among them, Inner Mongolia Northern Line to Lubei freight reference 210-290 yuan / ton, low end 20 yuan / ton, high-end 20 yuan / ton; South line to Lubei freight 200-250 yuan / ton, down 20-50 yuan / Tons; Shanxi to Lubei 120-150 yuan / ton; Guanzhong to Lubei reference 120-180 yuan / ton; Guanzhong to Shandong Southwest reference 190-200 yuan / ton; Xinjiang to Lubei 740-780 yuan / ton .

Third, the market outlook

Business community view: On the positive side, under the influence of environmental protection, Shanxi and North Jiangsu coke oven gas-making methanol projects are conspicuously limited. At present, Shanxi Linyi and other places have severely reduced production and production; Xuzhou has opened factories in the early stage, and the resources in the region are tight; Zhongyuan Ethylene and Jiangsu Syrbang MTO are running smoothly, raw materials are maintained in normal mining, and support is supported in the region and surrounding markets; some downstream mining increases, and methanol consumption increases; natural gas “guarantee” news, fourth quarter Domestic gas supply reduction is expected to decrease, and it will have a direct impact on the local arrival of goods in the region and East China; some manufacturers in the northwest and Shandong are expected to repair or repair the equipment, and the overall resource supply is tightened; futures Masukura up, late Sharply higher, boosting the spot market. In the negative, under the environmental supervision, Shandong, Hebei downstream plate, BDO and other construction started to maintain low levels, and later stored low expectations, demand for formaldehyde and other resources is mainly on demand; port inventory is still relatively high; the current methanol price is relatively high, There is a certain contradiction in the downstream. The methanol analyst of the business community expects that the domestic methanol market will continue to strengthen in the short term.

On September 5, the rare earth index was 348 points, which was the same as yesterday, which was 65.20% lower than the highest point in the cycle (2011-12-06), which was 28.41% higher than the lowest point of 271 points on September 13, 2015. (Note: Cycle refers to 2011-12-01 to date)

The average price of metal lanthanum in rare earth metals is 407,500 yuan / ton; the average price of metal bismuth is 1.625 million yuan / ton; the average price of metal bismuth is 660,000 yuan / ton. The average price of lanthanum oxide in rare earth oxide is 325,000 yuan / ton; the average price of cerium oxide is 1.145 million yuan / ton; the average price of cerium oxide is 410,000 yuan / ton; the average price of cerium oxide is 316,500 yuan / ton. The average price of niobium alloy in rare earth alloy is 41,250 yuan/ton; the average price of niobium-iron alloy is 1.15 million yuan/ton.

Recently, the index of rare earth mining has been released, totaling 120,000 tons, an increase of 15,000 tons compared with 2017. However, the price trend of some rare earth products in China has temporarily stabilized, and the price of niobium oxide has risen slightly. Most rare earth separation enterprises have stopped production, resulting in supply. Decline, especially some mainstream rare earth oxides, the supply performance is tight, and the recent recent procurement cycle, some commodity prices in the rare earth market are temporarily stable. Recently, the trading volume in the market is very limited. The major manufacturers of products are also cautiously waiting to see each other. The mutual inquiry has become more frequent. The downstream receiving goods are not actively leading to the low price of some rare earth products. The rare earth analysts of the business community are expected to be in the near future. The impact of the US trade war, the export of rare earth to the United States is subject to certain restrictions, but the recent rare earth market is about to enter the procurement cycle, it is expected that the rare earth market will rebound in the later period.

First, the price trend

On September 3, the DMF market rose. According to the data of the business community, the average price of the sample enterprises on September 2 was 5,633.33 yuan / ton. On September 3, the average price of the sample enterprises was 5,816.67 yuan / ton, an increase of 3.25%, and the price rose by 4.99% compared with the same period of last year.

Second, market analysis

Products: On September 3, DMF market rose, Shandong mainstream manufacturers quoted at 5900-6000 yuan / ton, East China mainstream manufacturers at 6200-6300 yuan / ton, Guangdong mainstream manufacturers at 6600 yuan / ton, the factory maintained normal operation, the market Insufficient supply of goods, DMF trading volume is generally, the market talks shift the focus, and the price rises.

Industry chain: DMF market rose, the upstream methanol market price rose, the price closed at 3,035 yuan / ton on the 3rd, giving DMF cost support, the downstream slurry industry operating rate is general, the market trading atmosphere is acceptable, DMF prices rose.

Third, the market outlook

The upstream methanol market continued to rise, and the downstream operating rate was general. Therefore, DMF product analysts of the business community believed that the short-term DMF market was dominated by high consolidation.