Group 1 - The chemical sector shows a warming trend, with caustic soda prices rising over 3% due to stable supply and seasonal demand support from key downstream industries [1] - Approximately 500,000 tons of caustic soda production capacity is expected to come online in the first half of 2025, primarily driven by the addition of 9.2 million tons of alumina production capacity [3] - The cost of caustic soda is decreasing, with a reduction of about 150 yuan per ton due to lower prices of raw salt, coal, and industrial electricity [3] Group 2 - The average utilization rate of caustic soda production decreased by 2.0% to 80.5% last week, influenced by increased maintenance of production facilities [5] - Liquid chlorine prices are under pressure due to supply-demand imbalances, affecting the profitability of chlor-alkali products [5][6] - Short-term market sentiment is improving, with expectations for price recovery in liquid caustic soda due to potential temporary production cuts from reduced profitability [7] Group 3 - Long-term supply pressures remain, with expectations that caustic soda prices will not see significant increases despite short-term strength in the market [8] - The inventory of liquid caustic soda decreased by 1.58% to 38.42 million tons, indicating a neutral to high level compared to the same period last year [5]