Recently, the European chemical industry has been experiencing continuous turbulence, with several industry giants successively taking contraction measures. On December 29, 2025, three German subsidiaries of Dormer Chemical Group - Dormer Chemicals, Domo Caproleuna GmbH, and Domo Engineering Plastics GmbH - officially filed for bankruptcy protection. This not only directly affects the fate of 585 employees, but also deeply reflects the structural difficulties faced by European chemical companies under multiple pressures such as high energy costs, fierce global competition, and fluctuating industry demand. It is reported that these factories produce key chemical intermediates and engineering plastics including caprolactam and nylon 6 resin. Their operational crisis undoubtedly signals a restructuring of the global plastics industry landscape.
This predicament is not an isolated case; it forms part of the wave of adjustments in the European chemical industry. As early as July of the same year, Dow Chemical announced the closure of three upstream production assets in Germany and the UK; followed by Wacker Chemie in November, which also unveiled plans to cut over 1,500 jobs worldwide, with the majority of layoffs occurring in Germany. This series of events clearly indicates that the European chemical production base is facing severe competitive challenges, and industrial contraction and restructuring have become a trend.
At this time, the events in Venezuela are expected to further impact the already volatile global chemical industry chain. Venezuela is an important oil-producing country, and any fluctuations in its situation may exacerbate price uncertainty in the global energy and basic chemical raw material markets. For European chemical companies that are currently struggling with energy costs, this may mean a further increase in raw material cost pressure, thereby accelerating the process of industry restructuring and capacity reconfiguration.
Nonferrous metals hit the top, with the sector rising nearly 95%!
In 2025, the non-ferrous metal sector topped the A-share industry growth chart for the first time, with an annual increase of 94.73%. From precious metals to industrial metals, and from upstream resources to downstream new materials, the non-ferrous metal sector exhibited a comprehensive boom, with 44 stocks doubling in value during the year, becoming one of the most prominent main trends in the A-share market
Overview of the silicone market on January 5: The domestic DMC market prices remained stable today, with the average market price in China standing at 13,600 yuan/ton, unchanged from the previous working day. Influenced by the planned production cuts from major factories in Shandong and the positive signals released at the actual controller meeting on Friday, market inquiry and procurement activity increased, and some downstream users made moderate purchases, improving the new order transaction atmosphere for monomer factories.
The core factors influencing subsequent price movements are primarily manifested in the following aspects: In terms of supply, the operating rate of monomer plants is expected to decline in January, with major factories in Shandong planning to reduce production. Regarding market sentiment, monomer factories have a stronger intention to stabilize and raise prices, and downstream inquiries have become more active. From a cost perspective, downstream buyers remain highly sensitive to prices and are relatively cautious in their purchasing operations.
Short-term market prices are expected to remain stable overall, possibly with minor fluctuations. Based on market sample survey results, approximately 70% of industrial customers anticipate that the industrial silicon market will continue to experience narrow range volatility in the near future.