The acrylic acid and ester market has emerged from its downturn, with prices rising significantly. Acrylic acid prices have increased by more than 10.45%, and butyl acrylate prices have risen by 9.09% to 10%. The market is currently consolidating. In East China, acrylic acid and butyl acrylate prices are 7400-7500 yuan/ton and 8300-8500 yuan/ton respectively, both down by about 50 yuan.

　　The introduction of national policies and measures to stimulate downstream demand will boost overall market sentiment, increase trading activity, and help maintain high prices for acrylic acid and esters, with no significant risk of a sharp decline in the near term. This is according to Li Li, an analyst at Custeel.

　　Manufacturers are controlling supply and maintaining prices.

　　Wang Chunming, general manager of Shandong Ruiyang Chemical Trade Co., Ltd., introduced that in the week before Labor Day, the domestic acrylic acid and ester market saw a slight decline. Afterward, market activity increased. With low spot inventory, the market maintained limited operations, gradually pushing the price upward.

　　In terms of supply, according to incomplete statistics from Sinolink, the second phase of Shanghai Huayi's plant gradually increased its operating rate in early May, currently maintaining around 60%; Yantai Wanhua's acrylic acid and ester plant gradually resumed operations in early May, with limited overall capacity increase; Ningbo Formosa's acrylic acid and ester plant resumed operations at the end of April, currently with two lines of acrylic acid production and a butyl acrylate operating rate of around 40%; and Yangzi BASF's acrylic acid and ester plant underwent a 45-day maintenance in May.

　　There are still plans for plant shutdowns later, and the overall operating rate of the acrylic acid and ester industry will remain low. Coupled with manufacturers' conscious control of supply and price maintenance, the market is expected to remain high in the future. This is the view of Zhang Dandan, an analyst at Sinolink.

　　Raw material support remains.

　　Regarding propylene, the raw material, the recent tight supply and price increases have provided some cost support to the acrylic acid and ester market.

　　On the downstream side, Wanhua Chemical's 750,000-ton/year PDH plant entered maintenance ahead of schedule on May 14, requiring external propylene to maintain the operation of its downstream plants, leading to renewed high trading activity for propylene. In addition, most downstream products have sufficient profit margins, and the operating rates of some downstream plants have increased, increasing the willingness to purchase propylene as a raw material.

　　In terms of supply, propylene inventories at refineries in Shandong Province have remained low, and fluctuations in some refinery plants have limited the supply of goods in the market. Coupled with limited replenishment of imported goods, the tight supply has not been effectively alleviated, pushing up propylene prices and providing upward momentum to the acrylic acid and ester market in terms of cost.

　　Looking at another raw material, n-butanol, its market is also firm. Currently, n-butanol factories have low product inventories, mainly fulfilling previous contract orders. Downstream factories maintain just-in-time procurement, and transactions in the market are mostly small orders. The market lacks momentum, major players are cautious, downstream and end-user follow-up is slow, and the upward trend in the market is slowing.