China's exports of liquid caustic soda in August fell 3.9% month on month to 96,879 mt, customs data released Saturday showed.
The fall was led mainly by a decline in exports to major caustic soda importer, Australia, which fell 38.4% month on month in August to 38,254 mt.
Last month Australian buyers were seeking US spot cargoes as Asian prices were too high, said sources. This led to the decline in exports from China. The monthly average price for caustic soda in the US for August was $403.75/mt FOB US Gulf Coast, while the Asian average price in August was $473.50/mt FOB Northeast Asia.
A year-on-year comparison of data was not available as Platts started tracking China's caustic soda exports from June this year.
