The price monitoring data for textile bulk commodities in the 26th week of 2026 (June 29 to July 3) reveals an intensifying structural divergence: the cotton sector and the synthetic fiber sector are moving along distinctly different price trajectories.
Cotton posted a weekly gain of 2.34%, with a year-on-year increase of 17.05%, making it the only rising textile commodity that week. Prices climbed from 17,383.67 yuan per ton to 17,790.67 yuan per ton. This trend is driven by sustained expectations of tightening supply—reduced new-cotton acreage combined with weather disruptions in major producing regions have kept the market highly sensitive to potential annual supply-demand gaps.
In stark contrast, the synthetic fiber chain entered a broad decline. Acrylonitrile led the drop with a 2.96% weekly fall, sliding to 9,833.33 yuan per ton; polyester staple fiber fell 2.21%, and PTA dropped 1.54%. These declines directly reflect the dual squeeze of weakening upstream raw material cost support and sluggish downstream textile demand.
Industrial Transmission Chain: Mismatch Between Cost and Demand
The collective weakness in synthetic fiber prices is not an isolated phenomenon. Polyester filament yarns, including FDY and DTY, fell by 1.27% and 0.53% respectively, while polyester yarn dipped 0.42%, indicating that the entire polyester series is in a weak position. This suggests that despite some easing in raw material prices like PTA and PX, the cost relief has not effectively stimulated downstream purchasing, instead exposing a shortage of end-user orders.
The magnitude of acrylonitrile's decline deserves special attention. As a key raw material for acrylic fiber and ABS resin, its price has undergone a rapid correction after earlier gains. Although the year-on-year increase remains high at 22.92%, the weekly performance already shows fatigue, implying that downstream acrylic yarn and plastic product manufacturers are reducing their procurement willingness, and inventory pressure is feeding back upstream.
Cotton vs. Non-Cotton: The Logic Behind Price Divergence
The stability of the cotton textile chain stands in sharp contrast to the downturn in the synthetic fiber chain. Prices for cotton yarn 21S and 32S remained flat for the week, with year-on-year increases of 7.50% and 6.57% respectively. Viscose staple fiber and spandex also held steady, with annual gains of 9.06% and 21.09%. The resilience of these varieties largely benefits from the strength of cotton prices and the weakening of substitution effects.
Notably, raw silk prices saw a slight weekly decline of 0.14% and a significant year-on-year drop of 9.72%, highlighting the more pronounced demand pressure facing the silk category. This serves as a reminder that not all natural fibers enjoy the same pricing resilience.