As of January 15, 2026, the inventory of fixed liquid caustic soda samples from enterprises with a capacity of 200,000 tons or more nationwide reached 512,100 tons (wet metric tons), marking a month-on-month increase of 3.41% and a year-on-year surge of 99.64%. Chempricehub's analysis of caustic soda indicates a bearish sentiment with a rating of -2. By January 15, 2026, the inventory of caustic soda samples from enterprises nationwide had risen to 512,100 tons (wet metric tons), reflecting a month-on-month increase of 3.41% and a year-on-year jump of 99.64%. The significant rise in inventory highlights mounting pressure, suggesting either oversupply or weak demand. This poses a major bearish factor for spot prices, potentially leading to a decline. The settlement prices of the main caustic soda futures contracts (such as 2603 and 2605) have been on a downward trend recently (for instance, the 2603 contract settled at 2,102 yuan per ton, down 41 yuan for the day). The news of the sharp inventory increase is expected to reinforce market bearish expectations, further exacerbating the downside risks for futures prices.