1. Report Industry Investment Rating No information about the industry investment rating is provided in the report. 2. Core Views of the Report - **Caustic Soda**: The caustic soda industry still faces certain supply - demand pressures. With fewer maintenance enterprises, the total supply shows an increasing trend. The price of alumina, the main downstream product, continues to weaken, and the industry's profit keeps shrinking with increasing losses. Thus, the support from the main demand side of caustic soda is weak, suppressing the price. In the short term, the caustic soda price lacks support. Although the middle and lower reaches may have phased replenishment needs after consuming their own inventories, the price is still under pressure due to increased supply and weak demand. The non - aluminum market remains sluggish. It is expected that the caustic soda price will run weakly in the short term, and a bearish trend is advised, while tracking the downstream replenishment rhythm [2]. - **PVC**: The contradiction of oversupply has not improved. The pressure on the supply side continues to rise, the demand expectation weakens, and the cost - side support is insufficient. There is no positive macro - level expectation for the time being. Therefore, the price is expected to continue to decline. The main downstream fields such as real estate are still weak. The new orders of profile and pipe product enterprises are limited, mainly for rigid - demand procurement, which is difficult to provide continuous support to the market. There will still be an impact from new production capacity on the supply side from November to December. The demand from November to January of the next year is in the traditional off - season, and the overall real - estate demand will decrease, forming a negative impact. Regarding exports, the anti - dumping tax in India is unclear, and exports are mainly on hold. The supply - demand is still in an oversupply pattern, and it is difficult to be optimistic about the price. Although the absolute price is low, it is difficult to form an upward driving force, and it is expected to continue the downward trend at the bottom [3]. 3. Summary by Relevant Catalogs Caustic Soda - **Price and Market Situation**: The caustic soda price is affected by multiple factors such as macro - environment, alumina demand, and cost. The price has shown fluctuations, with periods of decline due to factors like increased supply and weak downstream demand, and short - term rebounds due to factors such as policy expectations and increased demand from alumina [6]. - **Supply**: The national average weekly weighted operating load rate of sample enterprises is 85.55%, a 0.1 - percentage - point increase from last week. The caustic soda output in terms of 100% strength this week is 82.53 tons, a 0.12% increase from last week. There are many ongoing maintenance of chlor - alkali plants this week, but some enterprises with under - capacity operation have increased their loads, resulting in a slight increase in output [25]. - **Alumina Demand**: From the end of 2024 to 2025, the planned production capacity of alumina is 12.3 million tons (including 2 million tons of replacement), and the estimated annual production capacity growth rate is around 10%. The estimated annual output of alumina in 2025 is over 88 million tons, with a production growth rate of around 6%. The new alumina projects will increase the demand for caustic soda by about 800,000 tons per year, with a relatively concentrated increase of 150,000 tons from April to June [30]. - **Alumina Market**: Although the operating rate of some alumina enterprises in the north has decreased recently, the domestic supply - demand contradiction has not been effectively resolved, and the social inventory of alumina continues to increase. It is expected that the domestic alumina price will continue to run weakly in the short term, with a price range of 2,750 - 2,950 yuan/ton [34]. - **Bauxite**: The bauxite price is stable, the port inventory fluctuates, and the enterprise raw - material inventory has increased significantly [38]. - **Electrolytic Aluminum**: In October, the electrolytic aluminum production remained at a high level, and the in - plant inventory of electrolytic aluminum decreased [44]. - **Non - Aluminum Downstream**: The operating rate of the printing and dyeing and textile industries has increased seasonally, and it is in the peak season. However, the overall non - aluminum downstream has not shown strong driving forces [49]. - **Caustic Soda Export**: In September, the export profit of caustic soda increased, and the export volume rebounded significantly. It is estimated that the export profit will decline in October [54]. PVC - **Price and Market Situation**: The PVC price has been on a downward trend due to the lack of positive supply - demand drivers and a poor commodity atmosphere. The price has been affected by factors such as macro - sentiment, supply - demand changes, and export conditions, with periods of sharp declines and short - term rebounds [61]. - **Profit**: The PVC industry has been in a state of continuous losses, with losses in both the calcium - carbide and ethylene - based production methods [67]. - **Calcium Carbide**: The calcium carbide production has increased month - on - month, but the profit has weakened [72]. - **Supply**: The operating load rate of the domestic PVC powder industry has increased this week. Although there are 4 new enterprises for maintenance or shutdown, the overall maintenance loss has decreased, and the industry operating rate has increased. The overall operating load rate of PVC powder this week is 79.28%, a 2.19 - percentage - point increase from last week [83]. - **Downstream Demand**: The two major downstream industries of PVC, profiles and pipes, face great pressure. The real - estate sector, with the goal of "de - inventorying and stabilizing prices", will continue to have a negative impact on demand. The domestic demand has not improved significantly, and it is expected that the PVC downstream will not have positive drivers [93]. - **Real - Estate Data**: The real - estate industry is still in the bottom - building cycle, with indicators such as housing sales price index, land transaction area, and new - construction area showing weak performance [94]. - **Inventory**: The PVC inventory has remained flat recently, and the total inventory is at the highest level in recent years compared year - on - year [101]. - **External Market**: The external market price of PVC has weakened, and the export situation is affected by factors such as anti - dumping taxes in India [108]. - **Export**: In September 2025, the PVC import volume was 14,400 tons, and the export volume was 346,400 tons. The export volume has increased significantly both month - on - month and year - on - year [119].

Group 1 - The domestic PVC powder market shows a strong price adjustment today, with mainstream market prices increasing by 0-15 yuan/ton [1] - The overall operating rate of PVC powder this week is 75.14%, a decrease of 5.66 percentage points from last week [2] - Social inventory of PVC as of October 9 has increased by 5.58% to 1.0363 million tons, with a year-on-year increase of 23.53% [2] Group 2 - Supply and demand pressures remain significant, with both futures and spot prices trending weakly [3] - The demand side shows no significant performance during the peak season, indicating a lack of robust demand from downstream product companies [3] - Cost factors indicate that the price of raw material calcium carbide is expected to rise initially and then fall, while ethylene prices may remain firm [3]

Report Industry Investment Rating - Not provided Core View of the Report - The fundamentals of PVC are expected to improve, and the price is likely to continue its low-level rebound. The cost support has improved due to the firm performance of calcium carbide prices, and the supply pressure is expected to ease as more maintenance plans are scheduled for October. Although exports are affected by policies, the growth rate remains strong. The inventory structure of the industrial chain is differentiated, and the spot price is firm. With the strengthening of the basis, the risk-free arbitrage space in the industry has disappeared, and the hedging pressure has decreased [4]. Summary of Each Section PVC Market Review - This week, PVC fluctuated and rose. It opened higher on Monday at 4883 (up 12 points or 0.24% from last week's close), fell slightly to the daily low of 4863, and then rose strongly. It reached a new monthly high of 4994 on Wednesday morning before falling slightly, and finally closed at 4950 (up 74 points or 1.48% from last week's close). The weekly range was between 4863 and 4994, with an amplitude of 131 points [8]. - As of Friday, the closing price of the PVC01 contract was 4950 yuan/ton (weekly increase of 74 yuan). The main position of PVC was 1.13 million lots, and the market sentiment improved, leading to a rebound with reduced positions [11]. - As of Friday, the PVC basis in Changzhou was -170 yuan/ton, and both the futures and spot prices strengthened slightly. The PVC warehouse receipts were 110,000 lots (weekly decrease of 10,000 lots) [13]. - As of Friday, the V1 - 5 spread was -303 yuan/ton (unchanged), and the V3 - 5 spread was -226 yuan/ton (increase of 10 yuan) [16]. - This week, the price difference between ethylene - based and calcium carbide - based PVC in East China was 223 yuan/ton (decrease of 70 yuan) [19]. Supply - The intensity of device maintenance increased, and the output declined from a high level. This week, the PVC output was 460,000 tons (a decrease of 18,000 tons from the previous week), and the capacity utilization rate was 77%. The cumulative output from week 1 to 38 increased by 4.3% year - on - year [22]. - Next week, the capacity utilization rate of Chinese PVC is expected to be 78%, higher than the current level. The maintenance of Gansu Jinchuan and Zhongtai Shengxiong plants will end, and there are no new enterprises joining the maintenance, so the overall supply is expected to increase [22]. Real Estate - From January to August 2025, the cumulative year - on - year changes in the new construction, construction, completion, and sales areas of real estate were -19.5%, -9.3%, -17.0%, and -4.7% respectively, with the decline rates expanding. In August 2025, the cumulative year - on - year changes were -19.8%, -28.6%, -21.3%, and -11.0% respectively, and the decline rate of sales area has been expanding for 5 consecutive months. In August 2025, the year - on - year change of the new commercial housing price index in 70 large and medium - sized cities was -2.95% [25]. - This week, the commercial housing transaction area in 30 cities was 2.2 million square meters [28]. Domestic Demand - This week, the downstream operating rate was 49%, increasing for 3 consecutive weeks and exceeding the level of the same period last year. Among them, the operating rate of pipes has increased significantly in the past two weeks [30]. Exports - From January to August 2025, the PVC export volume was 2.57 million tons (an increase of 910,000 tons year - on - year), with a cumulative year - on - year increase of 55%. In August 2025, the export volume was 28,400 tons (including 11,000 tons to India) [33]. - From January to July 2025, the cumulative export volume of PVC flooring was 245,000 tons (a year - on - year decrease of 11%). In July 2025, the export volume of PVC flooring was 35,000 tons (a year - on - year decrease of 11%). (Note: Each ton of PVC flooring consumes about 0.3 tons of PVC powder) [36]. Inventory - As of Thursday this week, the inventory of PVC enterprises was 310,000 tons (a decrease of 4,000 tons from the previous week), with inventory reduction for 2 consecutive weeks. The pre - sales volume of upstream enterprises was 756,000 tons (an increase of 70,000 tons from the previous week), at a high level in the same period. The PVC price fluctuated slightly this week, and manufacturers sold goods with price support and delivered some export orders. It is expected that the in - stock inventory of PVC enterprises will decrease slightly next week [39]. - As of Thursday this week, the small - sample social inventory of PVC was 530,000 tons (an increase of 3,000 tons from the previous week), and the inventory accumulation speed slowed down. The large - sample social inventory was 950,000 tons (an increase of 19,000 tons from the previous week), with inventory accumulation for 13 consecutive weeks and a total inventory accumulation of 365,000 tons [41]. Profit - This week, the gross profit of calcium carbide - based PVC was -502 yuan/ton (a decrease of 81 yuan from the previous week), with profit contraction for 3 consecutive weeks [44]. - This week, the gross profit of ethylene - based PVC was -672 yuan/ton, with profit contraction for 6 consecutive weeks [47].

1. Report Industry Investment Rating No relevant content provided. 2. Core Viewpoints - PVC is in a phase of oscillating downward, and the later price center is expected to decline. The supply of PVC continues the weak trend, with high - yield production maintained. Domestic and export demands are weakening, and social inventory is continuously accumulating. However, recently, as coal prices strengthen, the cost - chain support of coal - based production has strengthened, which may limit the downward space [6]. 3. Summaries According to Related Catalogs 3.1 Fundamental Supply and Demand Supply - The risk lies in the possible upward shift of the entire industrial chain price from coal to calcium carbide if coal prices rise in the future, and the cost - side support is expected to strengthen [9]. - In 2025, the first - quarter has seen a new production capacity of 500,000 tons. Fujian Wanhua's 500,000 - ton capacity was put into production on August 2, and the annual production capacity growth rate is expected to be 6.37%. The pressure of production capacity release remains high. - On August 8, the overall operating load rate of PVC powder was 77.75%, a 4.49% increase from the previous period (due to planned maintenance). The annual cumulative production is expected to have a year - on - year growth rate of 3.23% [13]. Demand - **Domestic demand**: The current downstream operating rate is at a low level compared to the same period last year, especially for pipe enterprises. Domestic downstream product enterprises continue to purchase at low prices and resist high - priced raw materials. There is a seasonal weakening due to high - temperature in summer [10]. - **Export**: On August 8, the export order volume sample of PVC production enterprises decreased by 5.08% compared to the previous period and increased by 1.89% year - on - year [14]. Inventory - As of August 8, the total inventory of the original sample warehouses in East and South China was 457,600 tons, a 7.44% increase from the previous period and a 14.74% decrease year - on - year. The total inventory of the expanded sample warehouses in East and South China was 718,400 tons, a 6.73% increase from the previous period and an 18.35% decrease year - on - year [11]. 3.2 Disk Data - The PVC price was oscillating this week, mainly due to the game between cost and supply - demand. In terms of supply - demand, the supply remained high, new production capacity was yet to be fully released, while the downstream was still in the off - season, social inventory continued to increase, and registered warehouse receipts also increased. However, on the cost side, driven by the rise in coal prices, semi - coke enterprises raised prices, and the supply of calcium carbide enterprises decreased under the influence of power restrictions, leading to an increase in the cost of the industrial chain. - The basis was at a discount to the disk. This week, the East China 09 basis was around - 200; the 9 - 1 spread was weakly running at - 140. - The position of the 09 contract decreased to around 635,000 lots, and the warehouse receipts increased to around 63,200 lots [21]. 3.3 Regional and Quality Spreads - **Regional spread**: The spread between East and South China's calcium - carbide - based PVC weakened to - 127, and the spread between East and North China's calcium - carbide - based PVC weakened to - 27. - **Ethylene - calcium carbide spread**: The ethylene - calcium carbide spread oscillated around 307 [33]. 3.4 Profit Performance - **Calcium - carbide - based profit**: The current calcium - carbide - based production capacity accounts for 74%. The comprehensive profit of calcium - carbide - based production has shrunk, mainly because the cost has strengthened while the PVC spot price has been weakly oscillating. - For northwest integrated enterprises, the price of semi - coke, a cost factor, increased slightly this month, and the comprehensive profit decreased slightly to around 500 yuan/ton. - For enterprises purchasing calcium carbide, the price of calcium carbide increased this week. The comprehensive profit of northwest enterprises purchasing calcium carbide decreased to around 800 yuan/ton, and the comprehensive profit of chlor - alkali enterprises in Shandong was compressed to near the break - even point [43][44]. - **Ethylene - based profit**: The current ethylene - based production capacity accounts for about 23.5% (excluding coal - to - methanol - to - ethylene). The adjustment range of the ethylene - based PVC spot price was limited. The profit of enterprises purchasing vinyl chloride was slightly profitable, while the profit of enterprises purchasing ethylene was a loss of 100 yuan/ton [45]. 3.5 Industry - related Product Situation Semi - coke - This week (August 8), the semi - coke price increased slightly. The medium - grade semi - coke in the Shaanxi market was traded at 620 - 650 yuan/ton. The cost pressure of semi - coke production enterprises remained under the firm coal price, and the production enthusiasm of most enterprises was average. Some enterprises had limited inventory, which supported a narrow increase in the ex - factory price, and the price remained stable after the increase. Downstream users mainly purchased on - demand, and the enthusiasm for inventory replenishment was not high. The limestone price remained stable, and the mainstream ex - factory price in Wuhai was 55 - 70 yuan/ton. - On August 8, the operating rate of semi - coke sample enterprises was 54.22%, a 0.57% increase from the previous period. - In the future, the coal consumption of downstream power plants may increase due to high - temperature in August, and the cost pressure will still exist. In addition, the demand for small - sized semi - coke and foreign trade orders are expected to increase, so semi - coke still has room for improvement. The trend of coal prices and the inventory of semi - coke enterprises need to be monitored [66]. Calcium Carbide - This week (August 8), the overall price of calcium carbide shifted upward. The market price of calcium carbide in Wuhai increased from 2,250 yuan/ton to 2,340 yuan/ton, a 90 - yuan increase from the previous week. The supply decreased due to maintenance or peak - shaving production, and the price center of calcium carbide in most northwest regions shifted upward. The purchase prices in central and northern China remained stable. - On August 8, the average operating load rate of the calcium carbide industry decreased to 68.89%, a 3.94% decrease from the previous period. One reason is the unstable power supply in Inner Mongolia, and some calcium carbide plants in Wuhai were affected by peak - shaving production. The other reason is that some calcium carbide plants in Ningxia and Gansu were affected by the increase in electricity prices and carried out maintenance or peak - shaving production. - In the future, some affected calcium carbide plants this week are expected to resume production, but the increase in the operating rate may be limited due to peak - shaving production in Inner Mongolia. During the peak electricity - consumption season in August, the operating rate may be unstable. On the demand side, the demand for calcium carbide from PVC plants increased in the first half of August but is expected to be limited in the second half. The semi - coke price may be firm, and the impact of coal - related policies needs to be monitored. Overall, the supply - demand support for calcium carbide is relatively limited, but if the supply decreases more than expected due to peak - shaving production or if the coal price increase is transmitted to the entire coal - based cost chain, the calcium carbide price may rebound [70][75]. Caustic Soda - This week (August 8), the caustic soda market changed little. The price of 32% ionic membrane caustic soda decreased by 10 - 60 yuan/ton in some areas and increased by 10 - 110 yuan/ton in others. The non - aluminum demand in Shandong, Hebei, and South China was weak during the off - season, and the mainstream transaction price center shifted downward. The price in the southwest region increased slightly due to plant maintenance. - On August 8, the weekly operating rate of the caustic soda sample was 85.1%, a 1.2% increase from the previous period, and the weekly inventory was 461,700 tons, an 8.84% increase from the previous period. - In the future, most chlor - alkali enterprises will operate normally, with sufficient supply. During the off - season, downstream users will mainly purchase on - demand. The overall price may be weak, but the price in some areas may increase slightly due to maintenance and low inventory [80]. 3.6 Supply - **Production capacity growth**: The production capacity growth rate in the third quarter is 3.18%, and the annual growth rate is expected to be 6.37%. Fujian Wanhua's 500,000 - ton capacity was put into production on August 2, Bohua Development's 400,000 - ton ethylene - based plant was tested in July and is expected to be in full production in August. Qingdao Gulf's 200,000 - ton ethylene - based plant is planned to be put into production in the third quarter; Jiahua Energy's 300,000 - ton plant is planned for the third or fourth quarter, and other plants may be postponed. The annual production capacity growth rate may be around 6.4%, and the relatively certain growth rate in the third quarter may be 3.18% (900,000 tons/28.33 million - ton capacity) [84]. - **Operation and maintenance**: The theoretical loss due to shutdown and maintenance this week (including long - term shutdown enterprises) was 54,240 tons, a decrease of 27,180 tons from the previous week. Only Ordos No. 2 Factory is planned to be under maintenance next week, and some previously maintained enterprises may resume production. The maintenance loss is expected to decrease next week. The annual cumulative production is expected to have a year - on - year growth rate of 3.23%. The risk is that the upward shift of the entire industrial chain price from coal to calcium carbide may strengthen the cost support [85]. 3.7 Import and Export - In June 2025, the PVC import volume was 24,000 tons, a 63.80% increase from the previous month. The cumulative import from January to June was 124,300 tons, a 32.61% increase from the same period last year, and the cumulative year - on - year growth rate was 0.51%. The import sources are mainly the United States and Northeast Asia regions, and the import remains at a low level, with an import dependence of about 1%. - In June 2025, the PVC export volume was 262,000 tons, a 27.61% decrease from the previous month. The cumulative export from January to June was 1.9606 million tons, a 21.03% increase from the same period last year, and the cumulative year - on - year increase was 50.20%. The main destination is still India. - In June 2025, the export volume of Chinese PVC floor materials was 323,600 tons, an 8.09% decrease from the previous month. The cumulative export volume from January to June was 2.091 million tons, an 11.14% decrease from the same period last year. The main destinations are the United States and Canada [113]. 3.8 Downstream Demand - The current downstream operating rate is at a low level compared to the same period last year, especially for pipe enterprises. Domestic downstream product enterprises continue to purchase at low prices and resist high - priced raw materials. There is a seasonal weakening due to high - temperature in summer [136]. - **Real estate**: From January to June, the cumulative year - on - year decline in real estate investment was 11.2%, and the decline slightly expanded; the cumulative year - on - year decrease in new construction area was 20%. The investment confidence has not recovered, and the willingness to start construction is poor. The front - end indicators such as investment, new construction, construction, and completion all showed significant year - on - year declines, indicating that the capital pressure of real estate enterprises has not been substantially relieved, and the development willingness remains weak. Although the decline in the sales end has narrowed, a 3.5% year - on - year decline still shows that the recovery momentum of the demand end is insufficient, and there is a time lag in the transmission of policy relaxation to the market. The real estate market may still be in a downturn, and the demand for PVC may continue to shrink [155][156]. 3.9 Inventory - On August 8, some production enterprises tried to maintain prices, the arbitrage space for traders was limited, and the procurement enthusiasm of hedgers was average. Some factories received fewer orders. Some enterprises had high pre - sales in the previous period and mainly delivered previous orders this week. The salable inventory of sample production enterprises increased compared to the previous period, reaching 496,500 tons, an increase of 42,150 tons. The factory inventory of sample production enterprises decreased slightly compared to the previous period, reaching 327,250 tons, a decrease of 13,430 tons. - As of August 8, due to the decrease in maintenance on the supply side of domestic PVC, the increase in operation, and the normal market arrival, the market price first decreased and then increased, and the downstream's enthusiasm for receiving orders was poor. The total inventory in East and South China continued to increase. As of September 1, the original sample inventory in East China was 405,000 tons, a 7.31% increase from the previous period and an 18.58% decrease year - on - year. The expanded sample inventory in East China was 665,800 tons, a 6.60% increase from the previous period and a 20.76% decrease year - on - year. The sample inventory in South China was 52,600 tons, an 8.45% increase from the previous period and a 32.83% increase year - on - year. The total inventory of the original sample warehouses in East and South China was 457,600 tons, a 7.44% increase from the previous period and a 14.74% decrease year - on - year. The total inventory of the expanded sample warehouses in East and South China was 718,800 tons, a 6.73% increase from the previous period and an 18.35% decrease year - on - year [171].

Report Industry Investment Rating - The short - term trend rating for PVC is "oscillating", with an amplitude of - 5% - + 5% [5] Report's Core View - Currently, the supply - demand situation of PVC has weakened month - on - month, but the strong policy expectations have reversed the market's overly pessimistic sentiment, driving the futures price to rise significantly. However, the price increase has not yet significantly affected the supply - demand relationship, as marginal production capacity is still in a loss state. If the futures price rises to 5300 - 5400 yuan/ton, marginal production capacity may turn profitable, and supply may increase marginally. Also, the 09 basis has reached the risk - free arbitrage level, and sufficient spot inventory and available warehouse capacity will attract more hedging positions if the price continues to rise. In the current strong commodity market sentiment, the PVC futures price may remain strong in the short term, but it is likely to fall from its high if there is no clear short - term policy implementation plan or if the overall commodity market sentiment calms down [3][18] Summary by Relevant Catalogs 6 - month - on - month Weakening of PVC Fundamentals - Since June, with the end of spring maintenance, PVC supply has increased month - on - month. As Southeast Asia and India enter the rainy season, China's PVC exports have weakened significantly in June. Since mid - June, PVC social inventory has shifted from continuous depletion since the end of February to continuous accumulation, indicating a significant month - on - month weakening of PVC fundamentals [1][8] Unclear Supply - side Policy Implementation Rules and Few Old PVC Devices - There are no official and enforceable rules for anti - involution and old device transformation policies in the PVC industry. Although some marginal PVC production capacity is in a loss state, most northwest calcium carbide - based PVC enterprises are profitable, and leading enterprises have little motivation for anti - involution. According to statistics, PVC devices with an operation time of over 20 years have a total capacity of 218 million tons per year, accounting for only 7.6% of the total capacity, and 35 million tons per year of them are in long - term shutdown. The overall PVC industry devices are relatively new due to self - initiated capacity clearance from 2013 - 2015 and the clearance of high - cost calcium carbide - based devices in recent years. The current rise in the PVC futures price is more due to sentiment rather than an actual improvement in supply - demand [2][14] Investment Advice - Fundamentally, the current supply - demand of PVC has weakened month - on - month, but strong policy expectations have reversed the market's pessimistic sentiment and pushed up the futures price. The current price increase has not significantly affected the supply - demand relationship as marginal production capacity is still in a loss state. If the futures price rises to 5300 - 5400 yuan/ton, marginal production capacity may turn profitable, and supply may increase marginally. The 09 basis has reached the risk - free arbitrage level, and sufficient spot inventory and available warehouse capacity will attract more hedging positions if the price continues to rise, which is why the number of warehouse receipts has increased rapidly recently. In the current strong commodity market sentiment, the PVC futures price may remain strong in the short term, but it is likely to fall from its high if there is no clear short - term policy implementation plan or if the overall commodity market sentiment calms down [3][18]

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the recent trends in the PVC market in Asia, highlighting the upcoming production of certain facilities and the continuous increase in inventory over the past four weeks, raising questions about the sustainability of PVC prices [1] Group 1: Production and Inventory - Several production facilities are set to come online soon, which may impact the supply dynamics in the PVC market [1] - Inventory levels have increased for four consecutive weeks, indicating a potential oversupply situation that could pressure prices [1] Group 2: Price Stability - The article raises concerns about whether PVC prices can remain strong amidst rising inventory and new production capacity coming online [1]

1. Report Industry Investment Rating No relevant content provided. 2. Core Views of the Report - **Caustic Soda**: Short - term fluctuations, with pressure in the later period. Although affected by the supply disruption of bauxite in Guinea and the rise of alumina, there is a lack of continuous upward drive from the fundamental perspective. The downstream inventory - building sustainability determines the rebound duration. In the future, it will still be in a high - production pattern, and profit compression and supply reduction are needed to balance supply and demand in the later period [5][6]. - **PVC**: Weak and fluctuating. Although the Sino - US phased reconciliation has a positive impact on sentiment, the current high - production and high - inventory structure is difficult to ease. High production is difficult to change in the short term, and high - inventory pressure persists. Profit compression and supply reduction are required to balance supply and demand [7][8]. 3. Summary According to the Directory 3.1 Caustic Soda Price and Spread - **Price**: The price of the cheapest deliverable product in Shandong is about 2,594 yuan/ton. The 09 basis of caustic soda has strengthened, and the 7 - 9 spread has oscillated at a low level. The 50 - 32 alkali spread is slightly higher than the evaporation cost, which is positive for caustic soda. The export expectation in May has improved, mainly due to the resumption of nickel production capacity in Indonesia [11][16][21]. - **Spread Analysis**: The market contradiction is first reflected in the spread, which will return in the medium term. The 50 - 32 alkali spread is an advanced indicator of the market. The export profit is acceptable, and attention should be paid to the signing of export orders. The arbitrage space between Shandong and South China is generally limited [21][29][30]. 3.2 Caustic Soda Supply - **Market Structure**: Production has declined, and inventory has increased. This week, the domestic caustic soda capacity utilization rate was 82.6%, a 1.3% decrease from the previous week. The factory inventory of fixed liquid caustic soda sample enterprises with a capacity of 200,000 tons and above nationwide was 415,900 tons (wet tons), a 7.09% increase from the previous week and a 1.74% increase from the same period last year [37][38]. - **Maintenance and New Capacity**: Attention should be paid to the maintenance scale from June to August. In 2025, the new caustic soda production capacity will be 2.55 million tons, with a capacity increase of 5.2%. However, considering the continuous losses of chlorine - consuming downstream industries, especially PVC, the overall production capacity launch may be lower than expected [44][47]. - **Profit and Downstream**: The price of liquid chlorine has declined, the price of caustic soda has increased, and the chlor - alkali profit has declined. The current profit situation is very good, and power - self - supplying enterprises have no motivation to reduce production, while grid - power enterprises still have a large profit margin. The start - up of chlorine - consuming downstream industries such as propylene oxide, epichlorohydrin, dichloromethane, and chloroform has different trends [48][51][53]. 3.3 Caustic Soda Demand - **Alumina Industry**: Alumina production and inventory have declined, and profits have rebounded. Most alumina enterprises are still in a loss state, and new maintenance and production - reduction capacities are gradually increasing. Low - profit situations weaken the inventory - building efforts for caustic soda. The new production line of Weiqiao in May is expected to increase short - term demand for caustic soda, while the caustic soda procurement efforts of Wenfeng may weaken next month [73][77][84]. - **Non - Aluminum Industries**: The pulp industry has capacity expansion, but the terminal demand is in the off - season, and the start - up has declined. The start - up of the finished paper industry has decreased month - on - month. The start - up of the viscose staple fiber and printing and dyeing industries has recovered, and the short - term demand has warmed up. The start - up of the water treatment industry has decreased month - on - month, and the start - up of the ternary precursor industry has been stable [86][97][100]. 3.4 PVC Price and Spread - **Price and Spread**: The PVC basis has weakened, and the 9 - 1 spread has strengthened [114]. 3.5 PVC Supply and Demand - **Supply**: The start - up of PVC has declined month - on - month but has not reached the level of production reduction in 2023. After mid - May 2025, PVC maintenance has gradually increased. There will be 2.1 million tons of new PVC production capacity put into operation in 2025, and there will be concentrated production capacity launches from June to July. The profit of northwest integrated plants has declined but has not yet reached a loss state [117][118][119]. - **Demand**: PVC downstream industries have increased month - on - month, and PVC production enterprises and social inventories are in the process of destocking. The number of warehouse receipts will rise again [124][129][130].