In the second week of July 2026, the textile commodity price list sent a clear signal: the chemical fiber chain is undergoing a sharp profit redistribution. PTA led with a 2.25% weekly gain, closing at 5,910 yuan/ton, up 21.8% year-on-year. In contrast, acrylonitrile plunged 4.2%, losing nearly 400 yuan/ton within the week. Polyester filament yarns all weakened, with FDY and DTY falling 1.68% and 1.28% respectively, while cotton yarn and viscose staple fiber remained largely flat.
Upstream strength, downstream pressure
PTA's continuous rise is not an isolated event. Industry data shows PTA's year-on-year increase of 21.8% far exceeds those of polyester staple fiber (9.43%) and polyester POY (16.05%), indicating that profits in the PX-PTA segment are being significantly amplified. Downstream polyester filament yarns, especially FDY and DTY, have year-on-year increases of only 14.98% and 10.38%, clearly lagging behind raw material gains.
This "upstream feasts, downstream starves" pattern is squeezing margins for texturing and weaving mills. Polyester FDY's 1.68% weekly decline was the largest among polyester products, suggesting that the terminal fabric market is resisting high raw material prices, with orders slowing. DTY's 1.28% drop indicates similar demand weakness in the texturing sector.
Acrylonitrile crash: a textbook supply-demand imbalance
Acrylonitrile's 4.2% weekly plunge was the most severe among all monitored varieties. Despite a year-on-year increase of 15.61%, the sharp short-term drop signals a reversal in market supply-demand dynamics. Major downstream sectors for acrylonitrile—acrylic fiber, ABS resin, and nitrile rubber—are currently operating at low capacity, with buyers adopting a wait-and-see attitude.
Combined with cotton's 0.92% weekly decline, it is clear that both natural and synthetic fibers face pressure in end markets. Cotton prices are up 16.48% year-on-year, but the weekly drop suggests mills are reluctant to replenish, with yarn inventory pressure feeding back to raw materials. Cotton yarn 32S rose 0.61%, barely positive, but far below PTA's gain, indicating a clear cost pass-through bottleneck.
Nylon and spandex: divergence amid high volatility
Nylon FDY, DTY, and POY fell 0.31%, 0.38%, and 0.92% respectively, with losses widening downstream. POY's largest decline suggests weakening cost support from polymer chips. Spandex prices held flat at 29,666 yuan/ton, with a year-on-year increase of 21.09%, making it one of the highest among monitored textile raw materials. This high-level consolidation reflects continued rigid demand for stretch fabrics, but room for further price increases is very limited.
Viscose staple fiber and viscose yarn both remained flat, with year-on-year increases of 9.06% and 3.17%. The viscose chain's price transmission is relatively smooth, but sluggish terminal demand for rayon yarn limits upward elasticity.