According to the monitoring of the Business News Agency, the market price of isooctanol in Shandong Province fluctuated and rose in March. The price of isooctanol increased by 4.49% from 9228.57 yuan/ton at the beginning of the month to 9642.86 yuan/ton at the end of the month. The price at the end of the month fell 25.63% year-on-year.

On March 29, the isooctanol commodity index stood at 71.22, unchanged from yesterday, down 48.20% from the cycle’s highest point of 137.50 (2021-08-08), and up 102.62% from the lowest point of 35.15 on February 1, 2016. (Note: The cycle refers to 2011-09-01 to now)

From the perspective of supply side, the mainstream market price of isooctanol in Shandong increased slightly this month, with average inventory.

Cost side: slight decline in propylene market

In March, the factory price of propylene fluctuated and fell, dropping from 7522.60 yuan/ton at the beginning of the month to 7096.60 yuan/ton at the end of the month, a decrease of 5.66%. The price at the end of the month decreased by 15.57% compared to the same period last year. Insufficient cost support has a negative impact on the price of isooctanol.

Demand side: slight increase in DOP market

DOP market prices rose slightly in March. The price increased by 1.01% from 9950.00 yuan/ton at the beginning of the month to 10050.00 yuan/ton at the end of the month. At the end of the month, prices fell 18.29% year-on-year. The downstream market rose slightly, and downstream customers’ enthusiasm for purchasing isooctanol increased.

Looking at the future market: In the first ten days of mid April, the domestic isooctanol market may fluctuate slightly, with consolidation being the main trend. Upstream propylene prices fell slightly, with insufficient cost support. Downstream DOP prices showed a downward trend at the end of the month, and downstream manufacturers’ enthusiasm for purchasing isooctanol weakened. Multiple negative effects, product trend downward under supply and demand contradiction. The isooctanol analyst from the Business Agency believes that in the short term, under the influence of multiple factors such as supply and demand and raw materials, the domestic isooctanol market may suffer from minor fluctuations and declines.