January 15th news: On January 14th, methanol prices in the international market closed higher. The CFR Southeast Asia methanol market settled at $321.5–322.5 per ton. The FOB U.S. Gulf methanol market rose by 1 cent per gallon to settle at 88.5–89.5 cents per gallon. The FOB Rotterdam methanol market in Europe settled at €259.5–260.5 per ton. Chempricehub's analysis of methanol indicates a bullish-bearish score of +1.5. The report highlights that methanol prices in the international market rose across the board: CFR Southeast Asia settled at $321.5–322.5 per ton, FOB U.S. Gulf increased by 1 cent per gallon to 88.5–89.5 cents per gallon, and FOB Rotterdam in Europe settled at €259.5–260.5 per ton. This reflects strong global demand, particularly with the notable rise in the U.S. market, which will directly drive up methanol import costs and benefit domestic spot prices. Combined with the latest methanol MA futures market performance, the main contract 2605 closed at 2,288 yuan per ton, up 23 yuan, with a settlement price of 2,285 yuan per ton and trading volume reaching 1.57 million lots, indicating strong bullish sentiment in the market. Other contracts, such as 2603 and 2604, also rose by 21 yuan and 23 yuan, respectively. Futures prices may continue to rise with support from the international market, but a slight decrease in open interest (e.g., 2605 open interest decreased by 6,246 lots) suggests some profit-taking. Attention should be paid to the sustainability of this trend. The score is +1.5 (between generally positive and significantly positive), as the global price increase is a significant positive factor, though not driven by extreme events.