Group 1: Report Industry Investment Rating - The investment rating for the asphalt industry is "Oscillating" for unilateral trading, with no ratings provided for inter - period, cross - variety, futures - spot, and options trading [2] Group 2: Core View of the Report - Due to the increasing expectation of OPEC production increase, the crude oil price dropped significantly yesterday, weakening the cost support for asphalt and causing the BU futures price to decline. The asphalt market has a pattern of weak supply and demand, with low inventory overall. However, refineries have seen inventory accumulation this week. The market's fundamental driving force is insufficient, and the short - term futures price may fluctuate with the crude oil price [1] Group 3: Market Analysis Summary Futures Market - On September 4, the closing price of the main BU2510 asphalt futures contract was 3468 yuan/ton, a 2.14% decrease from the previous trading day's settlement price. The open interest was 70,861 lots, a decrease of 22,224 lots from the previous day, and the trading volume was 128,082 lots, an increase of 26,904 lots [1] Spot Market - The spot settlement prices of heavy - traffic asphalt from Zhuochuang Information are as follows: Northeast 3806 - 4086 yuan/ton, Shandong 3480 - 3820 yuan/ton, South China 3490 - 3550 yuan/ton, and East China 3560 - 3800 yuan/ton. The spot prices in North China, East China, and South China increased yesterday, while the price in Shandong decreased, and prices in other regions remained stable [1] Fundamental Analysis - The overall supply - demand pattern of asphalt remains weak, and inventory is at a low level. Refineries have seen inventory accumulation this week because of increased supply after the resumption of production at some major refineries and general terminal demand, which has led to poor purchase enthusiasm among industry players [1] Group 4: Chart Summary Price Charts - There are charts showing the spot prices of heavy - traffic asphalt in Shandong, East China, South China, North China, Southwest, and Northwest regions, as well as the closing prices of the petroleum asphalt futures index, main contract, and near - month contract, and the near - month spread [3] Trading Volume and Open Interest Charts - There are charts presenting the unilateral trading volume and open interest of petroleum asphalt futures and the trading volume and open interest of the main contract [3] Production Charts - There are charts depicting the weekly domestic asphalt production, independent refinery asphalt production, and asphalt production in Shandong, East China, South China, and North China regions [3] Consumption Charts - There are charts showing domestic asphalt consumption in road construction, waterproofing, coking, and ship - fuel sectors [3] Inventory Charts - There are charts displaying asphalt refinery inventory and social inventory according to Longzhong's data [3]