SunSirs: The Tug-of-War Between Supply and Demand Persisted, and the Acrylic Acid Market Remained Weak

Price trends

According to the latest data from SunSirs, the benchmark price for acrylic acid stood at 7,416.67 RMB/ton as of July 2, 2026. Compared to the price of 7,683.33 RMB/ton recorded at the beginning of the month (June 30), the price continued to decline early this week, marking a cumulative drop of 3.47% for the month.

Recent price trends reveal a market characterized by a distinct "decline with resistance":

June 25–26: Prices plunged rapidly from 8,250 RMB/ton to 7,950 RMB/ton, with the single-day drop reaching nearly 3.64% at one point.

June 27–28: The market briefly stabilized at the 7,950 RMB/ton mark—recording zero net change over two consecutive days—in an attempt to establish a support level.

June 29–July 1: The support level failed, and prices broke downward again, sliding from 7,683.33 RMB/ton to the current 7,416.67 RMB/ton. Notably, the price fell by 3.47% on July 1 alone, indicating that bearish forces continue to dominate the market.

Fundamental-based game

The most notable issue in the acrylic acid market this week is the drastic compression of profit margins across the upstream and downstream sectors:

Cost side: Propylene, the upstream raw material, has shown strong performance. On July 2, the benchmark price for propylene stood at 7,811.00 RMB/ton, up 5.40% from the beginning of the month. Theoretically, the firm price of the raw material should provide cost support for acrylic acid.

Despite rising costs, the price of acrylic acid has fallen rather than risen, dropping by 3.47% over the month. This "price-cost divergence" reflects extremely weak downstream demand, which is unable to absorb the pass-through of higher costs. Producers are facing severe profit margin compression and may even incur losses. In the tug-of-war between supply and demand, bearish factors on the demand side have completely overwhelmed bullish factors on the cost side.

Market outlook

Overall, the acrylic acid market currently finds itself in an awkward position characterized by a lack of cost-push momentum and significant downward pressure from weak demand.

Short-term outlook: The market is expected to remain weak, experiencing either range-bound fluctuations or a continued downward drift in the near term.

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