SHOUGUANG, China, Oct. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gulf Resources, Inc. (Nasdaq:GURE) ("Gulf Resources" or the "Company"), a leading manufacturer of bromine, crude salt and specialty chemical products in China, today updated investors on the impact of issues in the world and Chinese economy on its business operations.
Bromine prices have risen substantially throughout the world and even more substantially in China. In the world market, shipping issues have disrupted delivery. As a result, China has been unable to import its normal share of bromine.
With the shortage in supply and demand, prices of bromine have soared to the highest levels ever recorded. As illustrated by the chart below (source:sunsirs.com) bromine is currently priced at RMB 69,500 per tonne, an increase of 41% in the past few weeks and 148% higher than the end of the 3rd quarter in 2020.
Bromine Prices In China
|
|
| Period |
Price |
Changes As 2021 10/16 |
|
| Q2-2020 |
29,333 |
136.9% |
|
| Q3-2020 |
28,017 |
148.1% |
|
| Q4-2020 |
32,087 |
116.6% |
|
| Q1-2021 |
34,493 |
101.5% |
|
| Q2-2021 |
45,950 |
51.3% |
|
| Q3-2021 |
49,301 |
41.0% |
|
| 2021/10/16 |
69,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Since the raw material price increases are lower than the bromine price increase, we believe this type of pricing should be good for our Fourth Quarter 2021 profitability.
The Company has no idea how long the current shortages will last, however, we will keep shareholders informed of any changes we have seen.
The world and Chinese economies have been impacted by supply chain issues in many industries including the energy industry. Shipping shortages have disrupted delivery of many products throughout the world. China has also been impacted by shortages of energy. For example, in some regions of China, the government have restricted electrical usage, including Shouguang City. And some businesses under construction have been restricted from electrical usage in Shouguang City.
The supply chain issues as well as the electric restrictions have delayed the production and delivery of some equipment to the Company‘s new chemical factory. In addition, the Company’s new chemical factory has also been restricted from the electrical usage. This means the installation, timing of testing and beginning trial production at the chemical factory will be delayed. At this time, the Company is not in a position to determine the extent of the delays, but it will keep shareholders advised.
Website
As some investors may have noticed, our website has been down for the past week. Our company is committed to improving investor relations. As a result, we are in the process of introducing a rebuilt website. The transition from the old website to the new website will require approximately one more week. We look forward to sharing our new website with investors.
About Gulf Resources, Inc.
Gulf Resources, Inc. operates through three wholly-owned subsidiaries, Shouguang City Haoyuan Chemical Company Limited ("SCHC"), ShouguangYuxin Chemical Industry Co., Limited ("SYCI"), and Daying County Haoyuan Chemical Company Limited (“DCHC”). The Company believes that it is one of the largest producers of bromine in China. Elemental Bromine is used to manufacture a wide variety of compounds utilized in industry and agriculture. Through SYCI, the Company manufactures chemical products utilized in a variety of applications, including oil and gas field explorations and papermaking chemical agents, and materials for human and animal antibiotics. DCHC was established to further explore and develop natural gas and brine resources (including bromine and crude salt) in China. For more information, visit http://www.gulfresourcesinc.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this news release contain forward-looking information about Gulf Resources and its subsidiaries business and products within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. The actual results may differ materially depending on a number of risk factors including, but not limited to, the general economic and business conditions in the PRC, the risks associated with the ongoing impact of COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainties associated with obtaining governmental approvals, future product development and production capabilities, shipments to end customers, market acceptance of new and existing products, additional competition from existing and new competitors for bromine and other oilfield and power production chemicals, changes in technology, the ability to make future bromine asset purchases, and various other factors beyond its control. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this Cautionary Statement and the risks factors detailed in the Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Gulf Resources undertakes no duty to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.
CONTACT: Gulf Resources, Inc.
