January 16th News: On January 15th, the overall capacity utilization rate of soda ash for the week was 86.82%, an increase of 2.43% compared to the previous week; soda ash production reached 775,300 tons, a rise of 2.88%. Chempricehub's analysis of soda ash assigns a long-short score: -1.5. The article indicates that soda ash capacity utilization has climbed to 86.82% (a week-on-week increase of 2.43%), with production rising to 775,300 tons (a gain of 2.88%), signaling a significant increase in supply. Without a corresponding rise in demand, this could lead to oversupply in the spot market, inventory accumulation, and downward pressure on spot prices. Combined with futures data, the settlement price of the main contract, such as 2605, was 1,201 yuan/ton (down 17 yuan), and 2606 settled at 1,225 yuan/ton (down 16 yuan), indicating a sustained downward trend in recent futures prices. Changes in trading volume and open interest reflect a strengthening bearish sentiment in the market. The news of increased supply may further suppress futures prices and reinforce bearish expectations, hence the score of -1.5 (strong bearish signal).