Latest information on bulk raw materials

Macro

1. The Federal Reserve announced on the 18th that it will keep the target range for the federal funds rate unchanged between 3.5% and 3.75%. This decision is in line with market expectations.

2. According to data from the US Department of Labor, the US PPI rose 0.7% month on month in February, far exceeding the expected 0.3%; The year-on-year increase reached 3.4%, setting a new high in a year, and is expected to remain unchanged at 2.9%.

3. According to data released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance, Japan's imports in February increased by 10.2% year-on-year, and its total exports increased by 4.2% year-on-year. Among them, exports to the United States decreased by 8% year-on-year, marking the third consecutive month of decline. Among them, automobile exports decreased by 14.8% year-on-year. The export volume to China decreased by 10.9%, while the import volume increased by 35.4%.

Chemical Industry

1. On March 17, 2026, at the request of the American Industry Association, the US Department of Commerce announced an anti-dumping and countervailing investigation into large-diameter graphite electrodes imported from China and India. The US International Trade Commission (ITC) is expected to make an initial industrial injury determination no later than April 10, 2026.

2. Australian core lithium company announced on Wednesday that it will restart its Fennis lithium project in the Northern Territory, with the goal of achieving the first batch of lithium concentrate production by September 2026 and an expected annual output of 1.2 million tons by mid-2028.

3. Tesla and LG New Energy have signed a supply agreement to build a $4.3 billion lithium iron phosphate battery manufacturing plant in Lansing, Michigan, with production expected to begin in 2027.

4. It is reported that two sets of 200000 ton BDO units in Xinjiang Guotai Xinhua are operating stably, and a 10 day maintenance is planned for March 25th. BDO main supply contract orders and downstream PTMEG are currently not available for external quotation.

5. In the second week of March 2026, the inventory of potassium chloride in ports was approximately 2.826 million tons, a decrease of 64000 tons compared to the first week of March and an increase of 172000 tons compared to the same period last year.

6. German chemical giant BASF announced that starting from March 18th, it will raise prices for multiple product categories including home care, industrial cleaning, and industrial formulations in the European market, with a maximum increase of up to 30%.