May 12 News – As of May 8, the operating rates of the three major downstream sectors of styrene have declined week-on-week. Specifically, the operating rate of EPS (Expandable Polystyrene) stood at 34.81% (-20.72%), PS (Polystyrene) at 46.8% (-0.4%), and ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) at 57.45% (-2.75%). According to Chempricehub’s assessment, the multi-dimensional score for styrene stands at -1. The operating rates of all three major downstream sectors of styrene have decreased sequentially, with EPS experiencing a sharp drop of 20.72 percentage points, while PS and ABS declined by 0.4 and 2.75 percentage points, respectively. This indicates a clear weakening in demand-side support, exerting a generally bearish influence on spot styrene prices. In the futures market, the main contract (July 2026) of styrene on the Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE), with contract code 2607, closed at 9,379 yuan per tonne on May 11, 2026, up 173 yuan per tonne from the previous trading day, with open interest increasing by 20,841 lots. However, weak downstream demand is expected to curb upward momentum in futures prices, suggesting potential downward pressure in the near term.