In the first half of 2023, the carbon black market has been showing the characteristics of gradually expanding fluctuations. The overall trend of the market can be described as a "W" shape. During this period, it also experienced a sharp decline for more than two months, and the market volatility was quite ups and downs. .
In the first half of 2023, the overall carbon black market fluctuated greatly. The price index at the beginning of the year was 10638, but on May 16, the carbon black price index fell to the lowest point of 6621.75. Overall, in the first half of 2023, the carbon black market price has experienced a significant decline.
In January, the market price of carbon black began to drop sharply. This trend is related to the impact of cost. As the Spring Festival approaches, the production of downstream deep-processing enterprises is limited, and the demand for raw materials weakens, resulting in a decline in raw material prices, thus weakening the cost support of carbon black. On the demand side, the demand of downstream enterprises continued to be weak, especially the inventory of finished products of some tire enterprises was still high, so they mainly consumed inventory and reduced the purchase of carbon black. In addition, due to the impact of domestic public health incidents, the attendance rate of corporate employees is low, and the start of downstream factories has been hindered to a certain extent. As the Spring Festival holiday is approaching, some downstream companies have also arranged holidays in advance, further weakening the demand for carbon black.
In February, the market price of carbon black rebounded slightly. This rebound is related to cost factors. Some coking companies have reduced production due to poor profitability, resulting in a shortage of raw material supply and rising raw material prices, thus providing support for carbon black costs. On the demand side, the pre-inventory of terminal tires and other rubber products industries has gradually decreased, and the enthusiasm for downstream purchases has increased. However, resistance to high-priced carbon black still exists, resulting in a stalemate in the transaction atmosphere. In the tug-of-war of supply and demand, the market price of carbon black rose slightly.
From March to April, the market price of carbon black fell by more than "3,000 yuan". In terms of cost, the market price of coal tar pitch has continued to decline, but the market shipment situation has not improved significantly, and companies are still under pressure on shipments, which has led to the suppression of coal tar prices. Coal tar prices have continued to fall, resulting in significantly weakened support for carbon black costs. In terms of demand, the downstream tire and rubber product industries are not too enthusiastic about starting work, but the demand for the terminal tire industry is relatively weak, and the purchasing enthusiasm of enterprises is average. Inquiry price pressure is high.
In May, the market price of carbon black rose rapidly. In the early stage, the market price of coal tar was low, traders increased their purchasing power, and the inventory of coking enterprises dropped rapidly. In addition, the price of coke continued to fall, causing some coking companies to suffer losses and began to limit production, which led to a reduction in the supply of coal tar. At the same time, due to the continuous decline in the price of coal tar in the early stage and the limited inventory of raw materials, the operating rate of downstream deep-processing enterprises increased in May, and the demand for coal tar gradually picked up. The market was in short supply, which also prompted a sharp rise in coal tar prices.
In June, the carbon black market price rebounded after a series of declines. The downstream market has entered the traditional off-season of tire sales, and the start-up of all-steel tire companies continued to weaken, while that of semi-steel tire companies remained stable. The sales pressure of end products continues to increase. At the same time, under the support of the previous inventory, the demand for carbon black supply continues to be weak. In terms of raw materials, the price of coal tar fluctuates greatly, showing a trend of "rising, falling and rising". The transmission of the price to the downstream carbon black market has a certain lag. Therefore, the carbon black market price continued to fall this month, and did not rebound until the end of the month .