Esters (ethyl acetate/butyl ester): The cost and demand game, what is the trend?

1. The latest price and trend

-Ethyl acetate: 6150 yuan/ton (national standard excellent), stable and small fluctuations

-Butyl acetate: 7010 yuan/ton, ladder shock, strong rebound

Second, the core driver: cost vs. demand

1) Ethyl acetate (strong cost, weak demand)

- Cost side (strong support)

- High crude oil prices (Brent $108.65/barrel), rising costs

-Overseas manufacturers (such as Celanese) raise the price of acetyl products to drive mentality

- Demand side (weak suppression)

- Downstream coatings and inks are mainly rigid and have low acceptance of high prices

-Domestic supply and demand are loose, lack of batch replenishment

-Game conclusion: cost support, limited demand → narrow range fluctuations, difficult to rise

2) Butyl acetate (cost fluctuations, export support)

- Cost side (volatile)

-Butanol fluctuates at a high level (7,650 yuan/ton in East China), which is the largest price variable

-Glacial acetic acid rises simultaneously, double cost pressure

- Demand side (internal and external differentiation)

- Domestic: paint/adhesive recovery is slow, rigid demand is the main, not chasing high

- Overseas: Export orders are high, hedging against weak domestic demand and supporting a rebound

-Game conclusion: cost-led + export support → ladder shock, easy to rebound

III. Market Outlook Judgment (1 - 2 weeks)

-Ethyl acetate: 6000 - 6300 yuan/ton range oscillation

-Butyl acetate: 6900 - 7200 yuan/ton strong oscillation

- If n-butanol stops falling, it will rebound; if exports continue, it will easily rise; if n-butanol falls, it will pull back

IV. Purchasing/Trading Recommendations

-Ethyl acetate: small orders for rigid demand, replenishment at dips, not chasing highs; pay attention to the trend of glacial acetic acid

-Butyl acetate: fast-in, fast-out, band operation; n-butanol stabilizes and can be sold more lightly; export order is the key variable