SunSirs: Plastics and Rubber Industries Bulk Commodity Intelligence (January 8, 2026)

Macroeconomics

1. [Foreign Exchange Reserves] Central Bank: As of the end of December 2025, my country's foreign exchange reserves amounted to US$3,357.9 billion, an increase of US$11.5 billion month-on-month, reaching a new high since December 2015.

2. [Automobiles] According to the China Passenger Car Association, in December 2025, retail sales of passenger cars in my country reached 2.296 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 13% and a month-on-month increase of 3%. Of these, new energy vehicles accounted for 1.387 million units, a year-on-year increase of 7% and a month-on-month increase of 5%, with a new energy vehicle retail penetration rate of 60.4%.

3. [US ADP Employment] US ADP employment increased by 41,000 in December, compared to an estimated increase of 50,000 and a previous decrease of 32,000.

4. [Eurozone CPI] The Eurozone CPI rose by 0.2% month-on-month in December, in line with expectations; the Eurozone CPI rose by 2.0% year-on-year in December, also in line with expectations. The Eurozone core CPI rose by 2.3% year-on-year in December, compared to an expected 2.4%.

Plastics and Rubber

1. [PE] On January 7th, the operating status of Zhenhai Refining & Chemical's PE plant was as follows: the full-density unit switched to producing R546U; the 2PE unit switched to producing 580UV; and the 3PE unit produced 2911. Zhenhai Refining & Chemical (East China) LLDPE 7,042 was quoted at 6,550 RMB/ton, an increase of 50 RMB/ton.

2. [PP] Anhui Tianda's two PP production lines, with a total capacity of 230,000 tons/year, entered maintenance on January 6th. Supply is mainly for core customers.

3. [PP] Zhenhai Refining & Chemical has four PP production lines with a total capacity of 1.3 million tons/year. Currently, all lines are operating at normal capacity. The ex-factory reference price for T30S filament grade was increased by 50 RMB to 6,550 RMB/ton.

4. [Natural Rubber] On January 7th, the natural rubber market in Qingdao saw price increases. Traders raised their offers by 200-300 RMB/ton. The mainstream price for 2024 Yunbao was 15,900-16,050 RMB/ton. The mainstream price for Vietnamese 3L was 15,900-16,100 RMB/ton.

5. [Natural Rubber] On January 7th, the natural rubber raw material market in Thailand saw price increases: smoked sheet was quoted at 61.00 Thai baht/kg, an increase of 0.30 Thai baht/kg; latex was quoted at 55.25 Thai baht/kg, an increase of 0.25 Thai baht/kg; and cup lump was quoted at 53.20 Thai baht/kg, an increase of 0.20 Thai baht/kg.

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