Benzene futures and options were listed on Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) on July 8, 2025. Over the past year since the listing, benzene futures and options have operated smoothly, establishing effective linkages withethenylbeneze futures and options. These products have provided the aromatics industry with transparent and reliable pricing benchmarks and more comprehensive risk management tools. More importantly,the market has withstood the severe impact of geopolitical tensions on the chemical industry chain in March and April, demonstratingits role as a “market stabilizer” for the industry.
Benzene futures have maintained stable operation with broad participation from market participants. As of the close of trading on July 7, 2026, benzene futures had registered a cumulative trading volume of 4.87 million lots, with an average daily open interest of 26,000 lots. A total of 2,341 lots, or 70,200 metric tons, were delivered. Benzene options recorded a cumulative trading volume of 596,000 lots, with an average daily open interest of 8,510.5 lots. In terms of the market functions, the settlement price of the dominant benzene futures contract showed a correlation of 98.82% with domestic spot prices. About 900 industrial clients have participated in benzene futures trading, with trading volume and open interest from industry participants continuing to grow.
Going forward, DCE will closely monitor the development of benzene spot market and the performance of benzene futures and options. To meet the needs of enterprises across the industrial chain, DCE will continue to optimize contract rules, further enhance the market functions of the products, and strengthen marketcultivation efforts so as to assist industrial chain enterprises in making better use of futures and options tools.
