On September 4, 2026, the textile bulk commodity market presented a rare pattern of 'hot nylon, cold raw materials': nylon POY rose 1.71% in a single day, while acrylonitrile fell 0.87%. Within the same supply chain, upstream raw materials and downstream fibers moved in opposite directions—not a simple market sentiment fluctuation, but a temporal mismatch in supply-demand structures. For textile companies, understanding this mismatch is more valuable than watching daily price changes.
Background
Among 17 monitored textile products that day, 6 rose, 4 fell, and the rest stayed flat, with an average daily change of 0.32%. The top three gainers were all nylon series: POY rose to 14,875 CNY/ton, FDY to 17,275 CNY/ton, and DTY to 17,000 CNY/ton, with increases between 1.55% and 1.71%. Meanwhile, viscose staple fiber and rayon yarn rose 0.97% and 0.96%, respectively, and raw silk gained 0.85%.
Declining products concentrated in the upstream chain: acrylonitrile fell 0.87% to 11,333 CNY/ton, PTA dropped 0.61% to 6,562 CNY/ton, cotton fell 0.42% to 18,180 CNY/ton, and polyester staple fiber dipped 0.24%. Notably, PTA and acrylonitrile still showed year-on-year gains of 38.43% and 41.37%, indicating that current declines are high-level corrections rather than trend reversals.
Industry Impact
The core driver behind nylon's gains is downstream demand resilience. Nylon POY rose 23.44% year-on-year, with FDY and DTY up 15.94% and 18.72%, respectively. This sustained price increase reflects steady procurement of nylon fabrics in apparel and sportswear sectors. In contrast, the declines in PTA and acrylonitrile represent a rational correction after earlier cost-push surges, not demand contraction.
From a chain transmission perspective, PTA's fall has not yet fully impacted polyester products. That day, polyester POY, FDY, and DTY all held steady, but polyester staple fiber already dipped slightly, hinting that the polyester chain may face downward pressure from weakening cost support. For polyester-focused mills, this means raw material costs may ease, but whether finished product prices can adjust downward depends on downstream acceptance.
Cotton fell 0.42% to 18,180 CNY/ton, still up 17.71% year-on-year, while cotton yarn prices remained stable. This 'cotton down, yarn steady' state suggests spinners are digesting high-priced cotton inventories, with improved profit margins. However, if cotton continues to weaken, cotton yarn prices will eventually come under pressure, and foreign trade orders may face customer price cuts.