In the 26th week of 2026, the price landscape of major textile commodities presented a rare 'fire and ice' scenario. Against an average weekly decline of 0.4% for the sector, cotton stood as the sole gainer with a 2.34% rise, while synthetic raw materials such as acrylonitrile, polyester staple fiber, and PTA suffered notable losses. This divergence is not a short-term fluctuation but a concentrated reflection of structural mismatches in cost, supply-demand dynamics, and end-use demand between the cotton and synthetic fiber chains.
Cotton: Cost Support Meets Tight Supply
Cotton prices climbed from 17,383.67 yuan/ton at the start of the week to 17,790.67 yuan/ton by the weekend, pushing the year-on-year gain to 17.05%. The rally is underpinned by tight domestic commercial inventories and the pre-harvest supply gap, which has strengthened spot market sentiment. Cotton yarn prices remained flat, with 21S and 32S variants unchanged week-on-week but up 7.50% and 6.57% year-on-year respectively. This indicates that the cost surge has not yet fully passed downstream, compressing spinners' margins. For fabric buyers, current yarn prices offer a window of relative stability, but a catch-up adjustment is likely if cotton continues to strengthen.
Synthetic Chain: Upstream Raw Materials Lead the Decline
In stark contrast to cotton's resilience, the synthetic fiber chain suffered a broad retreat. Acrylonitrile led the drop with a 2.96% weekly decline, falling from 10,133.33 to 9,833.33 yuan/ton, though still up 22.92% year-on-year. Polyester staple fiber fell 2.21%, PTA dropped 1.54%, and polyester FDY and DTY declined 1.27% and 0.53% respectively. Notably, polyester POY held steady, suggesting manageable inventory pressure in the filament segment, while staple fiber and raw materials face more direct supply-demand imbalances. PTA, the pricing anchor of the polyester chain, saw a 1.54% decline, signaling weakening cost support and room for further downstream price adjustments.
Spandex and Viscose: High-Level Stalemate Signals Risk
Spandex prices remained at 29,666.67 yuan/ton, with a year-on-year surge of 21.09% but zero weekly movement, indicating a high-level stalemate. Viscose staple fiber and rayon yarn also saw no change, with year-on-year gains of 9.06% and 3.17% respectively. Historical experience suggests that prolonged price plateaus often precede directional moves. If downstream weaving and apparel orders fail to pick up, these varieties face correction risks. Spandex, in particular, with its 21% year-on-year increase, is at historically high levels, and end-brand tolerance for expensive fabrics is waning.
Nylon and Raw Silk: Weak Divergence Offers Structural Opportunities
The nylon chain showed complete price stability: DTY, FDY, and POY were quoted at 15,840, 16,300, and 13,650 yuan/ton respectively, with year-on-year gains ranging from 5.5% to 8.98%. This stability reflects a relatively balanced supply-demand picture but lacks upward momentum. Raw silk continued its weakness, edging down 0.14% week-on-week to 426,000 yuan/ton, with a year-on-year decline of 9.72%. The sericulture industry remains under pressure from climate and export demand factors, making a near-term turnaround unlikely.