April 21 (Reuters) - On April 21, the price of liquid caustic soda at Shandong Dezhou Shihua was lowered. The acceptance quotation for 32% ion-exchange membrane caustic soda dropped to 755 yuan/ton, while that for 50% ion-exchange membrane caustic soda fell to 1,170 yuan/ton. Actual transaction prices are negotiable, and the 400,000-ton chlor-alkali plant is operating normally.

Chempricehub analysis of caustic soda: Bull-bear score: -1.5
The article reports a decline in the spot price of liquid caustic soda at Shandong Dezhou Shihua. The acceptance quotation for 32% ion-exchange membrane caustic soda dropped to 755 yuan/ton, and that for 50% fell to 1,170 yuan/ton. Additionally, the 400,000-ton chlor-alkali plant is operating normally, indicating ample supply and weak demand, which directly exerts significant downward pressure on spot prices.

Combined with the recent performance of the caustic soda futures market (e.g., the settlement prices for the main contracts 2605 and 2606 on April 20 were 1,992 yuan/ton and 2,031 yuan/ton, respectively, with daily changes of -24.00 and -33.00), the decline in spot prices may reinforce expectations of oversupply and intensify bearish sentiment in the futures market. It is anticipated that futures prices will continue their downward trend.

A score of -1.5 reflects a generally to significantly bearish impact, as prices have clearly declined amid stable supply, though the magnitude of the decline is not extreme.