Why did Southeast Asia prices rise more than China's in March 2026?

China held roughly eight weeks of inventory and had Iran-origin cargoes already in transit, while Southeast Asia had no equivalent buffer and could not quickly reroute non-Iranian supply.

What share of global methanol capacity was affected by the conflict?

S&P Global Energy CERA estimated 18% of global methanol production capacity was affected by the Strait of Hormuz disruption.

Has the market returned to pre-conflict pricing?

No; China's domestic futures remained about 12.65% above year-ago levels as of August 13, 2026, despite easing well off the March peak.

Which company data best illustrates the price swing?

Methanex's global average realized price moved from $351/tonne in Q1 2026 to $529/tonne in Q2 2026, then was guided down to $460-485/tonne for July-August.

What is the structural demand growth outlook beyond this cycle?

The Methanol Institute expects global demand growth to return to 2.5-3.0% annually, up from under 1% during 2020-2025.

Asia Methanol Price Tracker

Name: Asia Methanol Price Data, August 2025 - August 2026
Creator: Epignosis Insights

Epignosis Insights Research Desk — Monthly Report, August 2026