In the last week of September 2025, prices of acetic acid in China increased by roughly 3%, aided by lower operating rates at Chinese plants, limited supply, and slow pre-holiday restocking from downstream sectors like acetic anhydride, PTA, and VAM. The active trading was sustained by healthy domestic demand and firm sentiment, and stable methanol feedstock prices contributed to the firm market. In the U.S. acetic acid market, most prices remained stable after prior monthly declines, as adequate supply of acetic acid with somewhat subdued demand kept things balanced. Exports from the U.S. to Europe and Mexico remained moderate, while Chinese export activities remained strong to Asia and Europe. Moving forward, analysts anticipated a somewhat firm China market after returning from the holidays, but U.S. markets would likely continue to stabilize as downstream consumption in important end-use sectors remained steady, albeit weak.
