1. Investment Ratings No investment ratings for the industries are provided in the reports. 2. Core Views PVC and Caustic Soda - The caustic soda futures market is boosted by policies, with expectations of industry capacity - reduction. Spot transactions are average, and prices in Shandong and Guangdong have decreased. Low - grade caustic soda has low inventory in most enterprises due to alumina demand, but non - aluminum downstream resists high prices. Short - term macro disturbances increase trading risks, and it is recommended to take profit on previous long positions and wait and see [2][4]. - The PVC futures market is also boosted by policies, with expectations of industry capacity - reduction. The spot market has light transactions and little price fluctuation. It is in a slack season with increasing supply and decreasing demand, and the fundamentals have not improved significantly. Short - term trading is more influenced by macro - sentiment, and it is recommended to wait and see [4]. Methanol - In the inland market, methanol prices fluctuate slightly. Supply may increase as the maintenance losses in July are high but there are expectations of resumption. Demand is restricted by the traditional off - season, and new capacity launch affects the market. At the port, the basis strengthens, Iranian device production returns, and imports are expected to be 1.25 million tons in July and slightly decline in August. There may be inventory accumulation from July to August due to the combination of import recovery and olefin maintenance [7]. Polyester Industry Chain - PX: Although some PX devices have load fluctuations, and terminal demand feedback is negative, PX supply is still expected to be tight, and PXN has some support. The short - term PX09 is expected to operate in the range of 6,600 - 6,900 yuan/ton, and attention should be paid to the upper - limit pressure [10]. - PTA: The current PTA load is around 80% with new device launch expectations, and terminal demand is weak. Considering the tight PX supply and the strong domestic commodity market sentiment, the TA09 - TA01 spread can be rolled in a reverse way, and the PTA processing fee around 250 yuan/ton can be used for short - selling attempts [10]. - Ethylene Glycol: Multiple coal - based ethylene glycol devices stopped unexpectedly in mid - July, leading to lower - than - expected supply increase and reduced import expectations. Short - term port inventory is expected to remain low, and the short - term EG2509 - P - 4300 put option seller can hold the position [10]. - Short - fiber: Although short - fiber factories plan to cut production in July, the overall supply and demand are weak in the short term, and the absolute price fluctuates with raw materials [10]. - Bottle - chip: July is the peak season for soft - drink consumption, and there are expectations of improved demand. However, considering the high historical supply level, attention should be paid to whether the device production cuts increase and the downstream follow - up situation [10]. Crude Oil - Overnight oil prices fluctuated weakly, mainly due to macro - pressure. The approaching US trade negotiation deadline on August 1st has not alleviated the macro - tension, and the threat of a 30% tariff may suppress oil demand. Although there are expectations of a decline in US crude oil inventory, trade tariff uncertainties are the core contradiction. It is recommended to adopt a short - term band - trading strategy, with support levels at [63, 64] for WTI, [66, 67] for Brent, and [498, 505] for SC. Options can be used to capture volatility opportunities [13][14]. Urea - The core driver of the urea futures market comes from macro - policies. Policies to optimize the industrial structure and eliminate backward production capacity are considered beneficial to the urea industry. Export data shows weakness, and the market focuses on new policy support. The futures price stimulates the spot trading atmosphere, and the basis is expected to be repaired. In the short term, there is no significant reduction in demand and capacity. In the long term, the transformation of coal - based urea capacity structure may be promoted. Attention should be paid to export quota implementation, trading volume recovery, and market expectations [15]. Polyolefins (LLDPE and PP) - In terms of valuation, the marginal profit is gradually recovering, and both PE and PP have supply - demand contraction and inventory accumulation, with weak demand. PP maintenance has reached its peak, PE maintenance first increases and then decreases, and there are few import offers. Demand is expected to pick up seasonally at the end of July. Strategically, the market sentiment is warm, PP is expected to fluctuate weakly, and it is recommended to wait and see for short positions, while PE can be bought in the range [20]. Pure Benzene and Styrene - Pure benzene: The supply - demand situation is expected to improve in July. Although there is news of production cuts from some devices, the impact on loss volume is limited. Downstream price transmission is poor except for styrene, and import expectations are high with high port inventory. Short - term pure benzene may be boosted by the strong domestic commodity market, but the rebound space is limited. The main contract BZ2603 follows the fluctuations of oil prices and styrene [25]. - Styrene: The styrene industry has high - level operation with maintained profits. The basis of near - month contracts weakens, and the profits of some downstream industries are slightly repaired. The supply - demand situation is marginally improved but still weak in expectation, and port inventory continues to increase. Short - term styrene is boosted by the market, but the increase is limited due to weak supply - demand expectations and high valuation. The EB09 is expected to operate in the range of 7,100 - 7,500 yuan/ton, and attention should be paid to the pressure around 7,500 yuan/ton and short - selling opportunities. The EB - BZ spread can be shorted at high levels [25]. 3. Summaries by Catalog PVC and Caustic Soda - **Price Changes**: Shandong 50% caustic soda price decreased by 2.2% from July 21st to July 22nd; East China calcium - carbide - based PVC price increased by 0.8%. Some futures contracts such as SH2509 and V2509 also had significant price increases [2]. - **Supply**: The caustic soda industry's operating rate increased by 1.3% from July 11th to July 18th, and the PVC total operating rate decreased by 0.1% [2]. - **Demand**: The alumina industry's operating rate increased by 1.0%, and the viscose staple fiber industry's operating rate increased by 8.7% from July 11th to July 18th. The PVC downstream product operating rate showed mixed trends [3][4]. - **Inventory**: The liquid caustic soda inventory in East China factories and Shandong increased, while the PVC upstream factory inventory decreased, and the total social inventory increased [4]. Methanol - **Price Changes**: MA2601 and MA2509 prices increased by 2.18% and 1.91% respectively from July 21st to July 22nd. The basis and regional spreads also changed [7]. - **Inventory**: Methanol enterprise inventory decreased by 1.28%, and port inventory increased by 9.92% [7]. - **Operating Rates**: The upstream domestic enterprise operating rate decreased by 1.94%, and some downstream operating rates such as MTBE increased, while others like formaldehyde decreased [7]. Polyester Industry Chain - **Upstream Prices**: Brent and WTI crude oil prices decreased, and prices of other upstream products such as CFR Japan naphtha and CFR China MX also had different degrees of decline [10]. - **PX - Related**: CFR China PX price increased by 0.1%, and PX basis, spreads, and processing fees changed [10]. - **PTA - Related**: PTA spot price decreased by 0.2%, and futures prices increased slightly. PTA processing fees decreased [10]. - **MEG - Related**: MEG spot price increased by 0.4%, and futures prices also increased. MEG basis and spreads changed [10]. Crude Oil - **Price Changes**: Brent oil price decreased by 0.90%, and WTI oil price increased by 0.52% on July 23rd compared to July 22nd. Spreads such as Brent M1 - M3 and WTI M1 - M3 also changed [13]. - **Refined Oil**: NYM RBOB increased by 0.28%, and ICE Gasoil decreased by 2.12%. Refined oil spreads also had different changes [13]. Urea - **Price Changes**: The synthetic ammonia price in Shandong increased by 1.54%, and some urea spot prices in different regions increased slightly [17]. - **Supply and Demand**: Domestic urea daily and weekly production decreased slightly, and factory inventory decreased, while port inventory increased [17]. - **Market Sentiment**: The futures market is affected by policies, and the spot market trading atmosphere is stimulated [17]. Polyolefins (LLDPE and PP) - **Price Changes**: L2601, L2509, PP2601, and PP2509 prices increased, and spot prices of华东PP拉丝 and华北LLDPE膜料 also increased [20]. - **Operating Rates**: PE and PP device operating rates increased slightly, and some downstream operating rates changed [20]. - **Inventory**: PE and PP enterprise inventories increased [20]. Pure Benzene and Styrene - **Upstream Prices**: Brent and WTI crude oil prices decreased, and CFR Japan naphtha price decreased by 1.2% [24]. - **Pure Benzene**: The CFR China pure benzene price increased by 0.5%, and the pure benzene basis and import profit changed [24]. - **Styrene**: The styrene East China spot price decreased by 0.8%, and styrene basis, spreads, and cash - flow changed [24]. - **Inventory and Operating Rates**: Pure benzene and styrene port inventories increased, and the operating rates of related industries changed [25].

Group 1 - The core viewpoint of the articles indicates that industrial metal prices, particularly copper and aluminum, are expected to rise due to a temporary easing of US-China tensions, resilient demand from new energy and grid investments, and supply bottlenecks [1] - The report from CITIC Securities highlights that the prices of industrial metals are experiencing fluctuations due to the Federal Reserve maintaining the benchmark interest rate and disappointing retail data from May [1] - The copper market is facing tight supply conditions, with negotiations between Chinese smelters and Antofagasta stalled, while the demand side is entering a traditional off-season, leading to a 3.04 percentage point decrease in the operating rate of copper cable enterprises [1] Group 2 - In the aluminum sector, the operating rate of alumina has decreased by 0.4 percentage points, with some companies opting to cut production due to rising raw material costs; however, social inventory continues to show a trend of reduction [1] - Zinc prices are supported by a decrease in overseas inventory, but domestic supply and demand remain weak; lead prices are under pressure due to raw material supply issues and sluggish consumption, maintaining a consolidation phase [1] - Nickel prices have weakened further due to soft demand and the influence of London nickel prices, indicating that the overall industrial metal market is constrained by macroeconomic pressures and seasonal demand reductions [1]