macroscopic

1. The number of initial jobless claims in the United States increased by 6000 to 223000 last week, reaching a three-year high and expected to be 220000. The number of people who renewed their unemployment benefits in the previous week increased by 46000 to 1.899 million, the highest since November 2021.

2. The initial value of the Eurozone Consumer Confidence Index for January is -14.2, with an expected value of -14.2 and a previous value of -14.5.

3. French Manufacturing Confidence Index: The INSEE Manufacturing Confidence Index for January in France is 95, with an expected 96 and a previous value of 97. France's January INSEE business confidence index is 95, with an expected value of 94, compared to the previous value of 94.、

4. The Ukrainian central bank has raised its key interest rate by 100 basis points to 14.50%, with market expectations for a 75 basis point hike. The Ukrainian central bank has stated that it is prepared to further raise interest rates to curb inflation.

5. [Türkiye cut interest rate] The central bank of Türkiye cut the benchmark interest rate by 250 basis points to 45%, in line with market expectations.

6. Japan's trade deficit is 5332.6 billion yen in 2024, marking the fourth consecutive year of trade deficit; The export value was 107.91 trillion yen, exceeding 100 trillion yen for two consecutive years, reaching a new high since comparable data became available in 1979.

chemical industry

1. According to data from the General Administration of Customs, in 2024, China exported lithium batteries to the United States at a record high of 15.315 billion US dollars, accounting for 25% of the total domestic lithium battery exports, an increase of about four percentage points from 2023.

2. Recently, Yuanxing Energy announced on its investor interaction platform that the second production line of the first phase of the Alxa natural alkali project is scheduled for planned maintenance in late February, while other production lines will operate normally during this period.

3. The 250000 ton/year MDI plant of BASF in South Korea is expected to undergo maintenance starting from February 9th, lasting approximately one month.

4. BASF's 160000 ton TDI plant located in Lishui, South Korea is operating smoothly. The plant is scheduled to be shut down for maintenance in mid February, lasting approximately three weeks.

5. As of January 22, 2025, the total inventory of methanol in Chinese ports was 929700 tons, an increase of 15000 tons compared to the previous period. Among them, the accumulated inventory in East China increased by 21600 tons; The inventory in southern China decreased by 6600 tons due to destocking.

6. As of January 23, the total inventory of domestic soda ash manufacturers was 1.4295 million tons, a decrease of 0.16 million tons (a decrease of 0.11%) compared to the previous week, and a decrease of 0.66 million tons or 0.46% compared to Monday. Among them, there were 570900 tons of light soda ash, a decrease of 27100 tons compared to the previous period, and 858600 tons of heavy soda ash, an increase of 20500 tons compared to the previous period.

7. As of January 23rd, the total inventory of MEG ports in the main ports of East China was 481300 tons, a decrease of 14600 tons from Monday this week. In terms of dock shipments: Zhangjiagang ships an average of 8600 tons per day within the week; The average daily shipment of Taicang and Liangku is 5500 tons, and the average daily shipment of Ningbo Port is 2500 tons.

8. Dimethyl Carbonate (20250117-0123) China's capacity utilization rate for dimethyl carbonate this week was 54.48%, an increase of 4.66% compared to last week.

9. In the second week of January 2025, the inventory of potassium chloride in ports (including bonded) was approximately 2.848 million tons, a decrease of 63000 tons compared to the fourth week of December (including bonded), and a decrease of 422000 tons compared to the same period last year (including bonded).

10. Shandong Daoen Titanium Industry Co., Ltd. announced that from January 23, 2025, the price of Daoen brand titanium dioxide will be increased by 300 yuan/ton for domestic trade and 50 US dollars/ton for foreign trade.

11. The total import volume of fluorite (≤ 97% content) for the whole year of 2024 was 1.3149 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 32.46%; The total export volume was 190200 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 2.7%. The total import volume of fluorite (>97% content) was 32600 tons, a year-on-year increase of 100%; The total export volume was 545600 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 70.4%.

12. In December 2024, China's export volume of hydrofluoric acid was 21015.44 tons, an increase of 6.75% compared to the previous month; The import volume of hydrofluoric acid was 17.66 tons, an increase of 17.48 tons compared to November.

13. In December 2024, the import volume of calcium carbonate in China was 14800 tons, a month on month decrease of 1.95% and a year-on-year increase of 55.79%; In December, the export volume of calcium carbonate in China was 13900 tons, a decrease of 6.08% compared to the previous month and an increase of 13.93% year-on-year. The total import volume of calcium carbonate for the whole year of 2024 is 153200 tons, a year-on-year increase of 27.67%; The total export volume was 140800 tons, a year-on-year increase of 11.66%.