SunSirs: Plastics and Rubber Industries Bulk Commodity Intelligence (May 25, 2026)

Macroeconomics

1. [MLF] The People's Bank of China (PBOC) released an announcement regarding its May Medium-term Lending Facility (MLF) tender. To maintain ample liquidity within the banking system, on May 25, 2026, the PBOC will conduct a 600 billion RMB MLF operation with a one-year maturity, utilizing a fixed-quantity, interest-rate bidding, and multiple-price allocation method.

2. [US Consumer Confidence Index] The final reading of the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index for May fell to 44.8, marking an all-time low. This figure represents a decline from the April final reading of 49.8 and falls short of both market expectations (48.2) and the preliminary reading released earlier this month (48.2). This marks the third consecutive month of decline, with the current level sitting slightly below the previous historical low set in June 2022.

3. [Japan CPI] Data released by Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on the 22nd showed that, excluding fresh food, Japan's core Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose to 112.5 in April—a year-on-year increase of 1.4%. With this result, Japan's core CPI has now recorded year-on-year growth for 56 consecutive months.

Plastics and Rubber

1. [PE] Zhejiang Petrochemical PE Plant Updates: The 450,000-ton No. 1 Full-Density Unit underwent a scheduled shutdown on May 8, 2026; a restart is projected for May 27, 2026.

Ningxia Baofeng’s 300,000-ton Full-Density Unit underwent a temporary shutdown for maintenance on May 21, 2026; a restart is projected for May 31, 2026.

Daqing Petrochemical’s 300,000-ton Full-Density Line 2 underwent a shutdown for maintenance on May 21, 2026; a restart is projected for May 25, 2026.

2. [PC] In April 2026, my country's total exports of polycarbonate in primary forms amounted to 63,000 tons, representing a month-on-month increase of 20.16%; total imports amounted to 66,400 tons, representing a month-on-month decrease of 20.65%.

3. [PP] In April 2026, my country's total exports of polypropylene in primary forms amounted to 554,400 tons, representing a month-on-month increase of 61.63%; total imports amounted to 136,100 tons, representing a month-on-month decrease of 20.11%.

4. [ABS] In April 2026, my country's total exports of ABS in primary forms amounted to 56,600 tons, representing a month-on-month increase of 31.67%; total imports amounted to 68,500 tons, representing a month-on-month decrease of 12.40%.

5. [Synthetic Rubber] In April 2026, China's synthetic rubber output totaled 691,000 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 5.7%; from January to April, the cumulative output of synthetic rubber reached 2.989 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 2.1%.

6. [Rubber Tires] In April 2026, China's output of rubber tire casings totaled 106.469 million units, a year-on-year increase of 3.5%; from January to April, the output of rubber tire casings increased by 1.2% compared to the same period last year, reaching 394.199 million units.