For the Quarter Ending December 2022
North America
During Q4 2022, the prices of Sodium Sulphate rose in the North American market, with prices ranging at USD 125/ton FOB USGC in November 2022 as per ChemAnalyst Research Team Data in the USA. In mid-November, strengthened global downstream demand and a stronger dollar pushed goods exports to a seven-month high, suggesting trade could have more substantial economic growth. The feedstock Crude Oil prices decreased, affecting Sulphur's market sentiments and cost pressure. The delineation of the Sodium Sulphate market was observed to be elevated with the rise in prices, and orders of the product were high enough to keep a balance with the downstream consumption of the product.
Asia
The prices of Sodium Sulphate increased in the Asian market during Q4 of 2022, with costs ranging from USD 96/ton FOB Shandong in October in China. Enterprise inventory levels continued to remain low, the supply of Sodium Sulphate was tight, and enterprises mainly completed orders from existing customers. According to market observers, despite high inflation, the downstream demand has spiraled up with strengthening consumer spending. In spite of the decrease in freight costs, the region supplied more Sodium Sulphate to importing countries. The geopolitical tensions and pandemic in China have induced supply chain disruptions and caused a shortage of Sodium Sulphate in the domestic as well as international market.
Europe
The demand from the downstream fertilizers market plummeted due to weakness in utilizing the product in the region, and procuring Sodium Sulphate in the European market needed to be more vital to raise Sodium Sulphate inventories with the traders and suppliers. The buying trend from the end-users has remained weakened in the market, decreasing the prices of Sodium Sulphate. The more inventory and sufficient supply of Sodium Sulphate push the price down further. Low-cost pressure from the weakening crude oil prices drives the Sodium Sulphate price downward in the region. Detergent demand weakened from the regional market affecting the buying sentiments. The market value of Sodium Sulphate was hovering at USD 164/ton FOB Hamburg in December within Germany, as per ChemAnalyst Research Team data.
For the Quarter Ending September 2022
North America
During Q3 2022, the prices of Sodium Sulphate increased during the middle of the quarter and then drastically fell by the end of the quarter. The US manufacturing activities tumbled in July as more factories dialed back production in the face of shrinking orders and rising inventories. The labor shortages and disrupted global trade dynamics have fuelled the market growth during August. The orders from the downstream domestic and international markets decreased somewhat because of the slowdown in demand, which caused a negative market attitude and delivery delays. The prices ranged at USD 100/ton Sodium Sulphate FOB USGC during the end of the quarter.
Asia
The prices of Sodium Sulphate fluctuated in the Asian market during the third quarter of 2022, as per pricing data. The increased queries from the downstream detergents pushed the domestic manufacturers to raise quotations for Sodium Sulphate in the region. The prices of upstream Sulphuric Acid and Sodium Chloride fluctuated, putting cost pressure on the products' values. The input materials' market values impacted the variable production costs, exerting significant upward pressure on price realizations in China. Labor shortages and the production cost of raw materials affected the market sentiments. In July, the price hovered at USD 110/ton of Sodium Sulphate FOB Shandong.
Europe
The prices of Sodium Sulphate in Europe followed a similar fluctuating trend as that of the Asian market during the third quarter of 2022. The increased spot offers due to input price inflation for Sodium Sulphate weakened the buyers' sentiments at the beginning of the quarter. Europe's largest economy was buffeted by the sharp increase in energy prices, affecting the market sentiments of Sodium Sulphate among the major manufacturing firms. The substantial increase in input cost and output charges has provoked the market players to improve their quotations. As a ripple effect, the prices of Sodium Sulphate settled at USD 160/ton FD Hamburg by the end of the quarter.
For the Quarter Ending June 2022
North America
The spot offers for Sodium Sulphate have been observed to be on a bullish run throughout the second quarter of 2022. The supply turmoil unleashed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine has severely impacted trade activities across the globe. On the upstream price front, the Sulphuric Acid Costs have also surged by approximately 8% towards the end of Q2, prompting enough cost pressure on the market values of Sodium Sulphate. As a result, a consistent surge has been observed in manufacturers' quotations. As per the market players, the supply shortages have constrained production capacity as the input costs and output charges have escalated at substantial rates. In addition, the surge in material tariffs and increased fuel and transportation charges have driven up the operating expenses and supported the escalated values of Sodium Sulphate.
APAC
During the second quarter of 2022, the Sodium Sulphate market observed mixed demand fundamentals. In India, prices stagnated in the first half of Q2 and rose substantially amid hiked input costs. The leading market players have revised their quotations, witnessing the unprecedented surge in raw material prices. The ongoing summer season has brought on workforce shortages and further inflicted the price dynamics of Sodium Sulphate. In addition, the ongoing hostilities between European nations have further unleashed the supply turmoil and accelerated the cost of upstream Sulphuric Acid raw materials. The closure of key manufacturing industries of Sulphuric acid has provoked supply-side concerns for the product, elevating the reliance on other nations. Thus, the upstream cost pressure has strengthened the realization of Sodium Sulphate among local traders towards the end of the second quarter.
Europe
The price trends of Sodium Sulphate oscillated in the domestic region of Germany in the second quarter of 2022. The ongoing hostilities between European nations have severely obstructed energy supplies in the major economies of Europe. The curbed natural gas supplies from Russia have prompted the input supply-side concerns for Sodium Sulphate and pushed the manufacturing costs upwards. The substantial increases in input costs and output charges have led the market players to increase their quotations for domestic and overseas orders. However, the increased spot offers due to input price inflation for Sodium Sulphate have weakened the buyer's sentiments and caused a headwind to the demand outlook. Altogether, the rising upstream costs and stable inquiries from the downstream detergent sector have propelled the Sodium Sulphate contracts to escalate further in the regional market.
