Titanium dioxide market in the doldrums, peak season expectations still lack substantive bullish factors [SMM Titanium Spot Flash]

SMM, August 31:  

SMM, August 31: The SMM titanium dioxide price index stood at 14,080 yuan/mt. Rutile titanium dioxide closed at 12,500-14,800 yuan/mt, with an average price of 13,650 yuan/mt; anatase titanium dioxide closed at 12,000-13,000 yuan/mt, and chloride-process titanium dioxide closed at 15,300-17,000 yuan/mt. All prices in the titanium dioxide series were unchanged today from the previous working day.

The titanium dioxide market remained in the doldrums today. On the supply side, performance varied among products made by different processes. For sulphuric acid process products, there were certain price spreads between enterprises. Some enterprises intended to hold prices firm, but the actual implementation of price increases was limited. By contrast, chloride-process suppliers were relatively few, producers' shipments were generally constrained, and prices had little room for further fluctuation. On the demand side, the weak pattern continued. End-user orders from downstream industries did not recover sufficiently, and downstream enterprises mostly maintained hand-to-mouth purchasing. No large-scale restocking emerged, and actual transaction follow-through in the overall market was weak. Although some market expectations existed as the traditional peak season approached, no substantive positive factors had yet emerged to drive the market, and near-term prices are expected to remain under pressure.