Last week, domestic benzene capacity increased slightly, while the arrival of imported supplies decreased, leading to a decline in port inventories. Additionally, shutdowns for maintenance at some downstream plants affected market sentiment. With the assistance of crude oil price movements, pure benzene prices fell sharply, prompting downstream buyers to concentrate their purchases at lower levels, which in turn supported a slight rebound in the market. Currently, overseas demand remains sluggish while supply is abundant, and macroeconomic factors are bearish for crude oil.
It is expected that pure benzene prices will undergo minor fluctuations this week, with a slight bearish outlook. Close attention should be paid to the situation in the Middle East and the operating rates of downstream industries.
