Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Positive" outlook for the oil and petrochemical industry [3] Core Insights - As of January 30, 2026, domestic LNG ex-factory prices increased by 5.0% month-on-month, while U.S. natural gas futures prices rose by 19.0% month-on-month [2][8] - China's natural gas production in January 2026 increased by 11.67% month-on-month, indicating a positive trend in supply [2][16] - European natural gas inventories decreased by 22.75% month-on-month, reflecting tightening supply conditions [2][19] Price Summary - Domestic LNG ex-factory price reached 4045.00 CNY/ton, up 186.00 CNY/ton from the previous month [8] - LNG import price in China was 12.10 USD/MMBtu, a month-on-month increase of 26.62% [8] - U.S. NYMEX natural gas futures closed at 4.42 USD/MMBtu, reflecting a 19.00% month-on-month increase [8][11] Supply and Demand - China's natural gas production in January 2026 was 549,920 tons, an increase of 11.67% month-on-month [16] - China's apparent natural gas consumption rose to 40.812 billion cubic meters, an increase of 8.69% month-on-month [16] Inventory - U.S. LNG/LPG inventory as of January 23, 2026, was 164,365 thousand barrels, down 6.66% month-on-month [19] - European natural gas inventory was 47.514 billion kWh, a decrease of 32.89% month-on-month [19][23] Import and Export - European natural gas imports for the first three weeks of January 2026 totaled 18,278 million cubic meters, a decrease of 24.82% month-on-month [24] - Imports of natural gas from Russia to Europe also declined, with a month-on-month decrease of 26.10% [24][29]

Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Positive" investment rating for the oil and petrochemical industry [1] Core Insights - Domestic LNG ex-factory prices have decreased month-on-month, with a notable drop in natural gas production in China for July [3][8] - As of August 8, 2025, the domestic LNG ex-factory price was 4220.00 CNY per ton, down by 205 CNY per ton, a decrease of 4.63% [1][8] - The report highlights significant changes in natural gas inventory levels in the US and Europe, with US LNG/LPG inventory increasing and European natural gas inventory showing a month-on-month rise [3][17][22] Summary by Sections 1. Natural Gas Prices - Domestic LNG ex-factory prices have decreased month-on-month and year-on-year, with a current price of 4220.00 CNY per ton, reflecting a month-on-month decrease of 4.63% and a year-on-year decrease of 14.38% [8] - US NYMEX natural gas futures closed at 3.00 USD per million BTU, down 6.55% month-on-month but up 39.15% year-on-year [8][11] 2. Supply and Demand - China's natural gas production in July was 537720.00 tons, showing a month-on-month decrease of 10.89% [16] - The apparent consumption of natural gas in China for June was 348.89 billion cubic meters, reflecting a month-on-month decrease of 1.33% but a year-on-year increase of 3.33% [16] 3. Inventory - As of August 8, 2025, US LNG/LPG inventory was 190026 thousand barrels, with a month-on-month increase of 6.13% [17] - European natural gas inventory reached 809.07 billion kWh, showing a month-on-month increase of 15.90% but a year-on-year decrease of 18.20% [22] 4. Imports and Exports - In June, Europe’s cumulative natural gas imports were 175158.71 million cubic meters, reflecting a month-on-month decrease of 0.23% but a year-on-year increase of 13.81% [24] - China's natural gas imports in July were 1063.18 million tons, with a month-on-month increase of 0.82% but a year-on-year decrease of 2.09% [29]