Shenhua Auction: Discounts spur uptick in LLDPE sales amid weak overall sentiment

Shenhua Baotou Coal Chemical Co., China’s largest coal-based petrochemical producer, concluded its auction 13 August 2025, with the results for prime grades as follows:

Auction platform: https://www.e-chnenergy.com  

Auction time: Monday – Friday, 10 AM – 12 PM 

Key takeaways:

Auction results on Wednesday highlighted a market still stuck in low gear, with PP homo yarn demand going nowhere fast while LLDPE film caught a brief lift from price cuts.

PP futures drifted in a narrow range and underperformed LLDPE, yet Shenhua left homo-PP yarn offers unchanged from the previous session. LLDPE film, however, was marked down by CNY50/ton ($7/ton), sparking enough interest to clear all 450 tons on offer.

“Deals for both PP and PE still point to a cautious market, with most trades wrapping up at CNY10–70/ton below yesterday’s levels,” a local trader said. “There’s no sign of a real turnaround yet.”

The PP market’s lethargy reflects ongoing buyer reluctance to stock up, as downstream players wait out range-bound futures and an uncertain short-term demand outlook. Tuesday’s announcement of a US–China trade truce extension has yet to lift sentiment, with the market still searching for direction. Any sustained rebound may depend on firmer signals from Beijing’s policy stance and broader economic support measures.

Written: Kat Yun Yun 

Edited: Farid Muzaffar