Crude methanol rises sharply; DME sentiment strengthens but market remains stable for now (20260908)

1. Today's Focus Points

① ICE Brent November futures contract: USD 95.52/bbl, down USD 0.11/bbl, or -0.12% period-on-period.

② Henan methanol market moved up, with enterprises executing order-based shipments.

2. Today's Market and Outlook

Table 1 Domestic DME Price Summary (unit: USD/ton? No—yuan/ton)

Wait — units are yuan/ton. Correct table below.

Table 1 Domestic DME Price Summary (unit: yuan/ton)

Taking the Henan region as the benchmark, DME settled at 4,400 yuan/ton today, unchanged from the previous period. The DME market operated steadily today. Feedstock methanol surged broadly, and costs continued to strengthen. Restrained by weak downstream demand, the DME market has not yet followed the price uptrend; producers are gauging downstream offtake sentiment, while end users continue to purchase on a rigid-demand basis. Chempricehub forecasts that the DME market will consolidate with a firm bias in the near term.

3. Related Product Market

Methanol: China's domestic methanol market continued its strong upward momentum today. Futures held at high levels with consolidation. At ports, amid expectations of continued inventory drawdowns in the near term, the basis remained firm, with buyers following up on rigid demand at low prices while closely watching the navigation status of the strait. In inland regions, upstream inventories stayed low, and some local methanol units remained under maintenance, leaving spot supply slightly tight. Combined with downstream rigid demand and seasonal restocking support, fresh order intake remained active overall. In the short term, underpinned by sound supply-demand fundamentals, the market is expected to maintain a firm consolidation trend. Attention should be paid to the sustainability of downstream upward chasing and changes in logistics freight costs.