AlCircle News Edited By "Pratyusha Chatterjee"
A writer with 5+ years of experience in the communication industry, Pratyusha Chatterjee has indulged in content from the business, lifestyle, travel industries and more. Apart from news and content, Pratyusha is immensely fond of participating in cultural events and managing them.
China Hongqiao’s debt-to-EBITDA nears 1x, responded with credit upgrade
China Hongqiao Group Limited, the world’s second-largest primary aluminium producer, has received a credit rating upgrade from S&P Global Ratings, moving from ‘BB-’ to ‘BB’ with a stable outlook. The upgrade is a ripple effect of the company’s improved financial condition, characterised by strong cash flow and reduced debt levels, despite a significant reliance on short-term debt. Image Source: Wikipedia The optimistic upgrade is stimulated by vigorous demand for aluminium, driven by China’s energy transition initiatives. The company’s debt-to-EBITDA ratio is projected to remain between 0.9x and 1x until 2026, indicating healthy leverage levels. However, approximately 60 per cent of China Hongqiao’s debt is short-term, posing potential liquidity risks. Effective management of this debt...
Cheap Chinese aluminium is back! And it’s targeting Europe’s weakest link
When Romanian aluminium producer Alro sounds the alarm, it’s not just about Romania. It’s a signal to the entire European industrial complex: brace for a flood of cheap Chinese aluminium — and brace fast. Image source: Taihe Institute In a pointed public statement, Alro Chairman of the Board of Directors, Marian Năstase, warned of an imminent danger from Chinese aluminium imports priced below the cost of production. His message? Europe is sleepwalking into industrial decline while China quietly eats its lunch. “The [trade war] affects us, most of all, not necessarily because we cannot sell more on the American market, but because we will be invaded by goods from Asia, mainly Indonesia and China, which will come and suffocate the European market, no longer being able to go to the United...
China to be hit again! US to impose new tariff on aluminium foil container imports
On April 11, 2025, the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) reportedly determined to issue antidumping duty orders and countervailing duty orders that imports of disposable aluminium containers, pans, trays, and lids from China are causing material injury to the US industry. The Commission found that these products are sold in the US at less than fair value and are subsidised by the Chinese government. This decision follows a complaint filed in May 2024 by the Aluminum Foil Container Manufacturers Association (AFCMA) and its member companies, including Durable Packaging International, Handi-foil Corp., and Reynolds Consumer Products. USITC plans to publicly post its full report about the aluminium container determination by May 26, 2025. Image for representational purposes...
Earth’s secret scaffold — A tale of how a humble mineral sparked life’s first molecules
Imagine you’re at a bustling party where everyone is milling about randomly—no one’s dancing together. Now, picture a friend rolling out a long, narrow carpet and suddenly, people line up and start waltzing in pairs. That’s a bit like what happened on early Earth, only the ‘carpet’ was a mineral called α‑alumina, and the dancers were the building blocks of life. α‑Alumina (a form of aluminium oxide) is one of the most common minerals in Earth’s crust — think of it as the ‘everyday rock’ hiding beneath our feet and in clay, sand, and even the gritty surface of your kitchen countertop. Scientists have now shown that its flat, orderly surfaces could have served as nature’s own dance floor for simple molecules. The big mystery has always been how lone amino acids, tiny molecules like glycine,...
Brazil’s bauxite-gallium pact potent for an inflexion point in the global aluminium production
In a landmark development for the metals sector, Brazilian Rare Earth (BRE) and Rio Tinto have signed a revised agreement to advance the Amargosa bauxite‑gallium project in Bahia, Brazil. This collaboration seeks to unlock one of the highest‑grade undeveloped gallium prospects in the world while securing a fresh source of bauxite, the critical feedstock for aluminium smelting. With global aluminium markets navigating tight supply dynamics, surging demand in green technologies and construction, and price volatility, the Amargosa pact arrives at a pivotal moment for the industry. Image source: https://www.ainvest.com/ The Amargosa project Located in north‑eastern Brazil, the Amargosa tenement neighbours BRE’s rare‑earth holdings and hosts both high-grade bauxite and significant gallium...
Cracks in the supply chain? US delisting Chinese stocks could open new doors for aluminium businesses elsewhere
The latest shot fired in the ongoing US-China economic standoff could have far-reaching implications for the global aluminium industry. Speaking in no uncertain terms, Scott Bessent, an economic advisor to former President Donald Trump, stated that “all options are on the table,” including the delisting of Chinese companies from American stock exchanges. While the statement is loaded with geopolitical overtones, its economic reverberations are particularly significant for the global commodities market — aluminium being one of the most affected. Image for referential purposes only and does not depict original scenario (source: https://www.smallcase.com/) This development comes at a time when global markets are already battling fragile supply chains, and it could become a turning point for...
Nagpur factory blast: 5 dead, 8 severely injured in a disaster that shook 87 lives
Nagpur just witnessed a tragedy that reads like a thriller gone wrong — except this was real, bloody, and brutally preventable. Five workers lost their lives in an explosion that ripped through an aluminium foil and powder manufacturing unit in the Umrer MIDC area (Nagpur, Maharashtra) on Friday afternoon. Image for representational purposes only and does not depict original incident Eyewitnesses say the ground literally shook. Windows shattered in nearby homes. Thick black smoke curled into the sky as if announcing the doom — and inside, chaos unfolded. The factory, which primarily churned out aluminium foil rolls for packaging industries, turned into a furnace within seconds. What should’ve been a regular workday ended with ambulances, sirens, and heartbroken families begging for...
NALCO’s nosedive: From ‘bull’ to ‘bear’ as tariff turmoil continues and sector shakes up
National Aluminium Company (NALCO) has taken a serious beating on the bourses this week, tumbling to a fresh 52-week low of INR 142.05 (USD 1.70). That marks an overwhelming 22.71 per cent nosedive over the last nine straight sessions, with the stock opening Wednesday with a dramatic 9.92 per cent gap down. It’s not just NALCO feeling the heat, the entire aluminium and metals sector is under siege. NALCO has underperformed its peers by 1.77 per cent, and technical indicators paint a grim picture: the stock is trading below its 5-day, 20-day, 50-day, 100-day, and 200-day moving averages, to be noted as a classic bearish territory. Despite the market drama, NALCO isn’t all doom and gloom under the hood. The company boasts rock-solid fundamentals, from a low debt-to-equity ratio to a stellar...
Tariffs paused, and Sensex rose, but India’s metal markets are still jittery
The United States President, Donald J Trump, has announced a partial reprieve (a chunk of the additional ones, actually) from his reciprocal tariff imposition till July 9, 2025. India, which had been hit with a 26 per cent reciprocal tariff effective from April 9, has caught a temporary breather. But analysts warn — now is not the time for aluminium producers to let their guard down. The announcement to reprieve India and others from reciprocal tariff In a post on Truth Social, Trump declared, “Based on the fact that more than 75 countries have called representatives of the US to negotiate a solution and that these countries have not, at my strong suggestion, retaliated in any way, shape, or form against the United States, I have authorised a 90-day pause, and a substantially lowered...
Here’s why Germany is buying while the US and China snooze in the global bauxite market
March has ushered in a striking divergence in the global bauxite landscape — North America and Asia are grappling with bloated inventories and cooling offtake. Au contraire, Europe, led by Germany, is scrambling to source feedstock amid a sudden uptick in industrial appetite. ChemAnalyst’s latest analysis flags this three-way split as ’a phase of divergence’ for bauxite prices and availability. The US: Surplus meets scepticism On this side of the Atlantic, producers and traders are wrestling with rising stockpiles and diminishing downstream demand. American bauxite prices have slipped as domestic mills and importers bulk up on material even as aluminium smelters pause expansion plans. There have been expansions in production houses, such as Bengang Plates Co.’s joint venture with Ansteel...
Tariff tango: EU slaps back at US in renewed trade skirmish
In a retaliatory move that’s reigniting transatlantic trade tensions, the European Union has announced a fresh wave of tariffs on USD 2.3 billion worth of American goods, a countermeasure to what it calls 'illegal' duties imposed by the US on EU steel and aluminium. This move comes nearly six years after former President Donald Trump first ignited the trade spat by levying steep tariffs on imported steel (25 per cent) and aluminium (10 per cent) in 2018, citing national security concerns under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act. While the Biden administration has sought to soothe trade relations, the EU’s patience appears to have worn thin. "The US has had ample time to remove these measures, which we believe are unjustified and in violation of WTO rules," said Valdis Dombrovskis,...
A breath of fresh air for SA aluminium: US reciprocal tariff exemption sends hope for global retailers
South Africa’s aluminium industry has breathed a communal sigh of relief following the announcement that aluminium will be exempt from the sweeping 30 per cent reciprocal tariffs unveiled by US President Donald Trump. The relief stems from a strategic carve-out for “critical minerals,” under which aluminium is classified, ensuring continued access to a vital export market for South African producers. On April 2, President Trump signed an executive order imposing reciprocal tariffs starting at 10 per cent on imports from most trading partners, with rates escalating to as much as 49 per cent for specific countries. However, Section 3(b) of the order explicitly exempts “certain critical minerals”, including aluminium, reflecting the administration’s recognition of America’s dependence on...
‘Zero for zero’ off the table: Trump denies industrial goods tariff negotiation with EU
On Monday in Luxembourg, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen formally put a “zero‑for‑zero” offer on the table. The EU would eliminate its tariffs on US cars and other industrial goods if Washington reciprocates by dropping its own levies to zero. The proposal comes just days after President Trump announced a 20 per cent tariff on virtually all remaining EU imports and a 25 per cent rate on steel, aluminium and autos, a move Brussels says threatens integrated supply chains on both sides of the Atlantic. However, US President Donald Trump has declined the offer and stood by his previous decision, stating to reporters at the White House, “The European Union has been very, very bad to us; they don’t take our cars, like Japan in that sense, they don’t take our agricultural...
We could think about postponing them to April 30, but we certainly don’t oppose them: Italian foreign minister on counter-tariff
The European Union (EU) received a suggestion on Monday from the Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani that the supranational political and economic union of 27 members might want to contemplate delaying counter-tariffs announcement on US imports of aluminium and steel, which are to come into effect on April 9. Image source: https://multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/ “We could think about postponing them to April 30, but we certainly don’t oppose them,” Tajani said, adding, “We will support EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovi; this is clear. Let’s see if we can postpone them by a few weeks to have more time for dialogue.” Tajani’s statements came to the public post the Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni's and other distinguished members of the Italian government's warning caught attention...
Top 5 aluminium can exporters to the US — And why America still imports
The US produces a large quantity of beverage cans domestically. But, it isn't enough to cater to the country's need. Import takes up a large portion of the aluminium trade in the stance of the United States. And among these inbound trade comes the aluminium can which is an intergral part of America's gastronomy as well as beverage industry. As the new tariffs are part of an aggressive tariff policy by US President Donald Trump that has impacted the global system of international trade, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced the inclusion of two products to the additional 25 per cent Section 232 tariffs on aluminium-derived products. These products are classified as follows: HTSUS 7612.90.10 (empty aluminium cans) and HTSUS 2203.00.00 (beer). The newly added item in the list,...
Tariff to hit India hard? Planes full of ‘Apple’ products sent to US, others in queue out of prolepsis
Apple orchestrated an airlift of five planeloads of iPhones and other products from its manufacturing hubs in India and China to the United States over a span of just three days in late March. The reason behind the move? A swift manoeuvre to sidestep impending US tariffs. This fast-paced, decisive operation aimed to bypass the probable imposition of the 10 per cent reciprocal tariff to be imposed by the Trump administration, which was to take effect on April 5, in addition to the existing 25 per cent tariff on steel and aluminium. As the brand had no intention of a price hike, by accelerating shipments, Apple sought to maintain its retail prices globally without passing on the tariff-induced costs to consumers. Image for referential purposes only To establish short-term stability amidst...
FY’26 expansion plans: Indian metal giants look for ways to pivot business flow
Aluminium giants, among other metal businesses in India, reportedly plan to expand rapidly and vigorously to support domestic demand. The transformation in business strategy for these metal producers comes as two major factors weigh in — the US tariff creating international price volatility and India’s domestic market touching the demand sky. Aluminium and steel companies alike face the headwind of a 25 per cent tariff imposed on all aluminium and steel imports to the US. Producers like Vedanta, Nalco, and Hindalco are thus tallying a reroute through trade in the domestic market, eyeing the scope of withholding any potential business deterioration. Key players like Vedanta, NALCO, and Hindalco are realigning their trade priorities to cushion any fallout from the tariff-led international...
Indian aluminium’s RE open access as a part of heavy industries to benefit net-zero goals
In the dynamic industrial landscape of India, heavy industries such as aluminium, steel, and cement are on the brink of a renewable revolution. Traditionally reliant on captive coal generation, these sectors now face a transformative 20 GW solar open access opportunity, a prospect that promises to slash production costs and reduce carbon emissions by up to 29 million tonnes annually. For instance, the steel sector alone, which contributes around 9.4 GW to this market, could see production costs drop by up to 10 per cent in setups like standalone arc furnaces, thanks to a shift from expensive grid power to open-access solar. Meanwhile, cement and aluminium, despite their ongoing reliance on captive coal, add another 11 GW to the potential. Aluminium, a cornerstone of India’s power sector,...
