能源化策略日报：中东地缘局势不明朗，能化延续震荡-20260324

1. Report Industry Investment Rating No information provided in the report. 2. Core Viewpoints of the Report - The geopolitical situation in the Middle East is unclear, and the energy and chemical sectors continue to fluctuate. Crude oil prices fluctuated significantly on Monday. The attitude of the United States is crucial to the price trend of oil and gas, and the key issue is when the Strait can be navigated smoothly. The chemical sector may enter a volatile pattern [2]. - Crude oil leads the chemical sector to continue the volatile pattern, waiting for the geopolitical situation to become clear [3]. 3. Summary by Relevant Catalogs 3.1 Market Views - Crude Oil: Geopolitical expectations are fluctuating, and oil price volatility has intensified. The expectation of a possible cooling of the US - Iran situation has led to a sharp decline in oil prices. The geopolitical outlook remains highly uncertain, and the oil price is expected to fluctuate at a high level [7]. - Asphalt: Geopolitical disturbances are still strong, and asphalt futures prices are rising. The geopolitical situation is the core factor affecting oil prices. The profit of asphalt refineries has deteriorated rapidly, and the supply of asphalt is expected to further decline. The asphalt futures price is currently undervalued compared to fuel oil and overvalued compared to rebar [8]. - High - Sulfur Fuel Oil: Supported by geopolitical factors, high - sulfur fuel oil remains strong. The geopolitical situation is still tense, and the high import dependence and strong geopolitical attributes of fuel oil are still driving up the futures price. However, the cracking spread of Singapore fuel oil has fallen from a record high, indicating that the refinery feed demand and power generation demand may be suppressed by high prices [8]. - Low - Sulfur Fuel Oil: Low - sulfur fuel oil follows the rise of crude oil. It follows the high - level fluctuation of crude oil, and the market is currently focused on the progress of the geopolitical situation. It faces negative factors such as a decline in shipping demand, green energy substitution, and high - sulfur substitution [10]. - PX: Market sentiment is greatly affected by news, and it fluctuates widely. The US - Iran conflict has not been effectively alleviated, and international oil prices are strong during the Asian session but fluctuate at night. The supply of PX is expected to be affected by the reduction of domestic and foreign PX device loads [12]. - PTA: The cost fluctuates widely, and the short - term volatility of PTA has increased. International oil prices fluctuate around the US - Iran peace talks. The cost and market sentiment dominate the price trend in the short term. High inventory is still a real problem [14]. - Pure Benzene: It fluctuates strongly. The current price of pure benzene is mainly dominated by the geopolitical situation. The supply of Asian naphtha is tightening, and some refineries have reduced their loads. The downstream profit is acceptable, and the value of aromatic hydrocarbon blending oil has increased [17]. - Styrene: Geopolitical factors bring positive effects to the supply and demand of styrene, and it fluctuates strongly. The price of styrene is still dominated by the geopolitical situation. There are changes in the supply side, and the downstream profit has declined. There is an expected increase in exports [18]. - Ethylene Glycol: The US - Iran geopolitical situation continues to disturb market sentiment, and ethylene glycol maintains a high - level consolidation. International oil prices fluctuate around the US - Iran peace talks, and the arrival of ethylene glycol at the main port will decrease in early April. The market will continue to fluctuate widely [21]. - Short - Fiber: There is intense game between upstream and downstream, and the transaction shows high - low differentiation. International oil prices fluctuate widely, and the supply of short - fiber continues to increase, but the downstream transaction is average, and the short - fiber factory has a slight inventory build - up [22]. - Bottle Chips: The cost volatility increases, and bottle chips passively follow. The upstream cost remains at a high level, and the price of bottle chips follows the upstream raw materials. The supply and demand of bottle chips are relatively tight [26]. - Methanol: Geopolitical conflicts continue, and methanol fluctuates within a range. The methanol futures price has risen significantly. The inland market is strong, and the coastal market is affected by the geopolitical situation. The authenticity of the US - Iran peace talk news is uncertain [29]. - Urea: There is a game between long and short positions, and urea fluctuates and consolidates. The supply of urea is sufficient, and the demand is cautious. The spot price is restricted by policy guidance and commercial storage [31]. - PE: The market game is intense, and PE should be viewed with caution. The global crude oil market still faces a large gap, and PE imports may decrease. The spot price fluctuates widely, and the downstream transaction is average [33]. - PP: Geopolitical news disturbs the market, and PP fluctuates widely. The global crude oil market has a large gap, and the direct impact on PP imports is limited. The refinery profit is under pressure, and the spot price fluctuates widely [34]. - PL: Geopolitical news disturbs strongly, and PL fluctuates widely. The supply reduction has a significant boost, but the downstream factory's acceptance is limited [35]. - PVC: It is mainly affected by sentiment, and PVC is cautiously optimistic. The market game on the US - Iran peace talks has enlarged commodity fluctuations. The supply is decreasing, the downstream start - up has improved, and the export order is average [36]. - Caustic Soda: The market fluctuates strongly, and caustic soda is cautiously optimistic. The market game on the US - Iran peace talks has enlarged commodity fluctuations. The supply is decreasing, the export has improved, and it is expected to reduce inventory [38]. 3.2 Variety Data Monitoring 3.2.1 Energy and Chemical Daily Index Monitoring - Inter - period Spread: Data on the inter - period spreads of various varieties such as Brent, Dubai, PX, PTA, MEG, etc. are provided, including the latest values and changes [40]. - Basis and Warehouse Receipts: Data on the basis and warehouse receipts of various varieties such as asphalt, high - sulfur fuel oil, low - sulfur fuel oil, etc. are provided, including the latest values and changes [41]. - Inter - variety Spread: Data on the inter - variety spreads of various varieties such as PP - 3MA, TA - EG, L - P, etc. are provided, including the latest values and changes [42]. 3.2.2 Chemical Basis and Spread Monitoring No specific content is provided in the report for this part. 3.3 Commodity Index - Comprehensive Index: The comprehensive index of CITIC Futures commodities on March 23, 2026, shows that the commodity index is 2531.78 (+0.33%), the commodity 20 index is 2810.80 (-0.34%), and the industrial product index is 2583.01 (+1.73%) [280]. - Sector Index: The energy index on March 23, 2026, shows a daily increase of 4.03%, a 5 - day increase of 9.93%, a 1 - month increase of 68.73%, and a year - to - date increase of 78.69% [282].