Para Aminophenol prices in China rose in early October after a 0.93% increase in September driven by rising raw material cost, particularly phenol, and due to supply constraint and strong domestic and international demand. Feedstock cost increased from Sinopec’s maintenance shutdown and crude oil price rise. Exporters in Shanghai faced higher production cost. Inventory reduction after August surplus led to strategic pricing, while Paracetamol manufacturers’ offtake offset trade friction. Logistics was efficient and USD–CNY rate was stable. In supply side, inventory was moderate and trade flow was adaptive, showing resilience to global volatility. Demand was stable with upward trend, driven by seasonal preparation, export order to Europe and US, urbanization driven chronic pain and generics in therapy. Looking forward, experts expect big price increase in late October due to export arbitrage in Southeast Asia and South America, holiday slow down, labor shortage and port congestion and high Aminophenol demand.
Para Aminophenol prices in the Chinese market stuck up a bit in the first half of October after September's 0.9% leap, which was largely down to a sudden jump in raw materials plus a strong take-up from both domestic markets and overseas. This is just a continuation of the trends where producers and exporters had to adapt their pricing strategies to the changing scenario of cost increases and growing demand.
September's price hike was largely because of increasing feedstock costs - in particular phenol. That made production costs for Para Aminophenol go up. Even so, manufacturers were pretty measured in adjusting their prices, no doubt helped by stocks being ticked down and steady demand from Paracetamol makers. The Shanghai logistics scene has been functioning smoothly and the USD/CNY exchange rate's been steady - all of which has helped keep things running smoothly.
Para Aminophenol prices in the Chinese market went up a bit during September, basically because raw material costs were getting higher and inventories were being wound down. The price of phenol went right up, driven by shortages and the effects of a few major producers went to maintenance mode plus some volatility in the crude oil market. That made it harder for manufacturers to keep costs down, plus they had to adjust their FOB prices to keep their profit margins intact. Inventories actually came down from their August peaks, which helped calm things down a bit - meaning there wasn't a big panic to get rid of stock at a discount. The stable state of the USD/CNY helped exports and basically everything else stayed fluid. Logistics at the ports in Shanghai were keeping up with the volumes and diversifying the sourcing of benzene helped sort out shortages for Para Aminophenol manufacturers. Overall, you had cost pressures, controlled stock levels and flexible trade going on - all of which meant a pretty steady rise in Para Aminophenol prices.
Demand for Para Aminophenol in the Chinese market levelled out in September, helped by steady downstream activity and buyers not getting too spooked. Paracetamol manufacturers were ordering more Para Aminophenol than usual because they were gearing up for flu season and also because they were getting orders for exports to the US and Europe. That's because Para Aminophenol has got really high quality standards which are a big part of what goes into the acetaminophen production. Buyers were pretty proactive in topping up their stocks, basically matching the forecasted demand patterns to make sure they weren't caught short. Domestic distributors were efficient at keeping their stocks in order and that meant orders were getting fulfilled without too much hassle. Exports of Para Aminophenol actually got a boost because trade was steady, and the truce agreements with US kept flows of the product smoother. There's growing demand for painkillers and more of this is driven by people in cities with chronic health issues and also by the need for generic medicines helped keep the demand for Para Aminophenol strong. A steady and predictable level of demand, plus good logistics and smart procurement - all of which made the market feel pretty revitalised and helped build confidence in Para Aminophenol throughout the month.
Looking forward to 2nd half October, prices are expected to go up significantly according to market sources due to export arbitrage as China will evaluate export competitiveness to Southeast Asia and South America. A week slow down due to holidays in early October, labour shortage and port congestion will impact supply chain. Para Aminophenol demand is expected to pick up and will drive up prices.
This scenario highlights the importance of Para Aminophenol in China’s export chemical portfolio, stakeholders are closely monitoring feedstock and global demand signals to navigate the uncertainty.
