SunSirs: Chemical Products Industries Bulk Commodity Intelligence (July 14, 2026)

Macroeconomics

1. [Boosting Consumption] The State Council has approved the "15th Five-Year Plan for Expanding Consumption." The goal is for the overall scale of the consumer market to continue expanding by 2030, with a significant rise in the household consumption rate and rapid growth in the consumption of goods and services across society. Total retail sales of consumer goods are projected to reach approximately 60 trillion RMB, further strengthening consumption's role in driving economic growth.

2. [Shipping] Trump stated that the blockade on Iran would be reimposed. The Strait of Hormuz remains open and will stay open, with or without Iran. The U.S. will receive compensation amounting to 20% of the value of goods transported through the strait.

3. [India CPI] India's CPI rose to 4.38% year-on-year in June, marking the first time in nearly 17 months that it exceeded the central bank's 4% target; this was driven primarily by rebounding food prices and rising international oil prices. The market believes this single month's data is unlikely to alter the central bank's policy stance, and rates are expected to remain unchanged in the short term.

Chemicals

1. [Chemicals] On July 13 (local time), Iranian customs issued a directive lifting the export ban on chemicals, polymers, and petrochemical products that had been imposed during the state of emergency; however, export controls on "industrial tallow" and "sulfonic acid" remain in effect.

2. [Lithium Carbonate] Eni has invested $225 million to acquire a stake in EnergyX's lithium project in Chile, securing 25% of the lithium output. The project, which utilizes direct lithium extraction technology, is designed for an annual production capacity of 52,500 tonnes of lithium carbonate across two phases and has secured $690 million in US financing; however, official operational permits from Chile are still pending. The project boasts proven reserves of 9.8 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE), holds over 80% of the mineral rights, and is sited to avoid salt marsh areas.

3. [Batteries] It is reported that the European Commission has recently decided to initiate an anti-dumping investigation into primary alkaline manganese dioxide batteries and battery packs originating from China, following an application by the German company VARTA Consumer Batteries GmbH & Co. KGaA.

4. [Batteries] On July 13, Gotion High-Tech and the Spanish Ministry of Industry officially confirmed an investment of approximately €950 million in Valladolid. The project involves constructing a cathode active material plant and a battery recycling facility on a 12-hectare industrial site, with construction scheduled to begin in 2027.

5. [Phosphoric Acid] Trial production recently commenced for the 100,000-ton/year refined wet-process phosphoric acid project of Guangdong Yunfu Yunliu New Materials Co., Ltd., located in the Yunfu Circular Economy Industrial Park and constructed by the South China Branch of China National Chemical Engineering No. 4 Construction Co., Ltd. With a total investment of 1.08 billion yuan and covering an area of 177,000 square meters, this project is a key new materials industry initiative for Yunfu City.

6. [High-Purity Potassium Fluoromolybdate] The Aogesai fluorine-containing new materials project, located in the Huangsha New Materials Circular Economy Industrial Park in Sanyuan District, is set to be completed and enter production in early September. The project will produce 1,500 tons of high-purity potassium fluoromolybdate and 2,000 tons of high-purity potassium fluoroniobate annually, alongside by-products including 500 tons of tantalum pentoxide, 1,500 tons of niobium pentoxide, and 470 tons of tin oxide.

7. [Soda Ash] On July 13, domestic soda ash inventory stood at 1.7501 million tonnes, up 0.18% from the previous Thursday; this included 1.0231 million tonnes of light soda ash and 0.7270 million tonnes of dense soda ash.

8. [Sulfur] On July 13, total sulfur inventory at Chinese ports was 0.7313 million tonnes, distributed as follows: Fangchenggang (0.31 million tonnes), Beihai Port (0.025 million tonnes), Zhanjiang Port (0.10 million tonnes), Zhenjiang Port (0.22 million tonnes), Nanjing Port (0.01 million tonnes), and Dafeng Port (0.039 million tonnes).

9. [Diethylene Glycol (DEG)] From July 10 to July 12, total DEG shipments from the two storage areas in Zhangjiagang amounted to 903 tonnes, averaging approximately 301 tonnes per day. As of now, the combined inventory at the two sites stands at 4,300 tonnes.

10. [TDI] Wanhua Chemical raised the fixed price for TDI in its distribution channels by 700 RMB/ton to 16,300 RMB/ton for the second ten-day period of July. Supplies from Xinjiang Juli were affected by maintenance, resulting in no available stock for the period.

11. [Styrene] On July 14, Lihuayi Weiyuan Chemical Co., Ltd. quoted styrene at 8,230 RMB/ton, an increase of 130 RMB/ton from the previous trading day.

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