The domestic toluene market remained stable today, supported by positive sentiment in the foreign exchange market. However, unsustainable excessive purchasing by the chemical industry, sluggish trends in other fine chemicals, and weak gasoline consumption limited market support. Due to supply shortages, only Shandong Province saw active market activity. Refinery supply exceeded 100% of production and sales volumes, but inventories remained low.
In the short term, price fluctuations in the regional toluene market remained mixed, but fundamental factors remained stable, allowing toluene prices to move within a narrow range. In morning trading on August 12, prices were RMB 5,550/ton in East China, RMB 5,600-5,800/ton in South China, and RMB 5,570-5,605/ton in Shandong Province.