Norsk Hydro’s earnings outlook for 2027 is facing mounting pressure from falling aluminium premiums, rising operating costs and easing supply tightness in Europe, prompting Goldman Sachs to downgrade the Norwegian producer from ‘buy’ to ‘neutral’ and reduce its price target from NOK 100 (USD 10.71) to NOK 79 (USD 8.46). Goldman said weaker premiums and higher costs were making further earnings growth harder to achieve in 2027. The bank also lowered its core earnings (EBITDA) forecasts for 2026 and 2027 by 6 per cent each, citing lower aluminium prices and rising costs. The changing market conditions come as additional metal from the Middle East reaches the market and Indonesian aluminium supply expands faster than expected, easing European supply constraints sooner than Goldman had...
Press Metal Aluminium Holdings Bhd is expected to face weaker smelting margins in the second half of 2026 as aluminium supply constraints ease, input costs rise and market sentiment shifts towards a potential surplus in 2027, according to Hong Leong Investment Bank (HLIB) Research. “The narrative now is increasingly shifting to a potential surplus in 2027. Coupled with falling Japan-Port (MJP) premium and rising alumina as well as carbon anode costs, we foresee sequentially weaker smelting margins in 2H2026,” the research house said in a note on Monday. HLIB Research estimates that Press Metal’s core earnings for the third quarter of 2026 will range between MYR 600 million (USD 146.85 million) and MYR 650 million (USD 159.09 million), representing a decline of 10 per cent to 17 per cent...
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LME aluminium prices recorded gains on March 3 compared with March 2, while exchange inventories edged lower and cancelled warrants increased significantly. On March 3, the LME aluminium cash bid price stood at USD 3,267 per tonne, up from USD 3,225.5 per tonne on March 2 - an increase of USD 41.5 per tonne or 1.29 per cent. The cash offer price rose to USD 3,269 per tonne from USD 3,226 per tonne, marking a gain of USD 43 per tonne or 1.33 per cent. The LME aluminium three-month contract also strengthened. The three-month bid price reached USD 3,260 per tonne on March 3, compared with USD 3,232 per tonne a day earlier, reflecting an increase of USD 28 per tonne or 0.87 per cent. Meanwhile, the three-month offer price climbed to USD 3,260.5 per tonne from USD 3,233 per tonne, up USD 27.5...
The escalating tensions surrounding the US-Israel conflict with Iran percolating down to the entire Middle East have triggered economic shockwaves across the globe. Aluminium and oil sectors are particularly vulnerable, and for obvious reasons. The Middle East is a pivotal region in aluminium production and oil extraction and also controls the world trade of these two commodities through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most critical maritime shipping routes connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Annually, the Strait of Hormuz handles an export volume of 5.14 million tonnes of primary aluminium, accounting for around 75 per cent of the region’s total production. Additionally, it serves as the passage for 20 to 21 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum...
The impact of geopolitical developments may have started reflecting on the metal market, as aluminium prices on the London Metal Exchange (LME) shot up on March 2 compared to the previous close. Both cash and futures contracts reported gains by wide margins, while exchange inventories continued to slide. The LME aluminium cash bid price rose to USD 3,225.5 per tonne on March 2, up 2.19 per cent from USD 3,156.5 per tonne on February 27 . The cash offer price climbed to USD 3,226 per tonne from USD 3,157.5 per tonne, rising by 2.17 per cent. The three-month contract followed a similar trend. The LME aluminium 3-month bid price edged up to USD 3,232 per tonne on March 2 from 3,163 per tonne on February 27, increasing by 2.18 per cent. The 3-month offer price rose to USD 3,233 per tonne from...
Researchers at King’s College London have discovered a new form of aluminium which may offer a cheaper and more sustainable alternative to rare and expensive metals used in modern technology. For the global aluminium value-chain 2026 outlook, book our exclusive report “ Global ALuminium Industry Outlook 2026 " The research was carried out under the leadership of Dr Clare Bakewell from the Chemistry Department, where her team developed highly reactive aluminium-based molecules that can break strong chemical bonds. They also identified new molecular structures that had not been seen before. An important result of the study is the first example of a compound called cyclotrialumane, containing three aluminium atoms arranged in a triangle. It is highly reactive but remains stable in different...
The 2025 revenue generation of the Volta Aluminium Company Limited (VALCO) in Ghana has surpassed USD 120 million. This marks the highest and best performance by the company in recent years. The update comes at a significant juncture as the state-owned aluminium smelter proceeds with a turnaround strategy for capacity expansion along with value addition of downstream products. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with Global ALuminium Industry Outlook 2026 across the value chain The figure was disclosed by VALCO CEO Dr Robert Makila Sambian on February 26, 2026, during a visit to the Tema facility by Dr Rashid Pelpuo, the Minister of Labour, Jobs and Employment. The minister held separate meetings with management and the local workers’ union to assess operational...
When Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) declared “strong underlying financial performance” for 2025, the forefront numbers were difficult to ignore. Underlying net profit (excluding Guinea Alumina Corporation) rose 16 per cent year-on-year to AED 4.93 billion (USD 1.34 billion), while total cast metal sales reached a record 2.83 million tonnes. Underlying revenue climbed 14 per cent to AED 31.98 billion (USD 8.71 billion), and EBITDA reached AED 9.28 billion (USD 2.53 billion). Yet 2025 was not all about a flourishing success story. Strip out the adjusted metrics and include the full impact of events in Guinea, and reported net profit fell to AED 2.12 billion (USD 577 million), down from AED 2.62 billion (USD 713 million) in 2024. The difference is explained almost entirely by the revocation...
Rio Tinto is “actively considering” restarting the dormant fourth potline at the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter near Bluff. With global aluminium prices surging past USD 3,000 per tonne, hovering near historical highs at around USD 3,148 per tonne, up 24 per cent since the end of March 2025, the height of economic urgency for the smelter reopening has elevated. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with Global ALuminium Industry Outlook 2026 across the value chain The early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 led to a suspension of operations at potline 4 . In 2024, the company sought expressions of interest from power suppliers capable of supporting a potential restart. According to a Rio Tinto spokesperson, though no final decision has been made yet, discussions with...
The consulting firm, AZ China Ltd, has reported that the Middle East accounts for 9 per cent of global aluminium production. The major producers use the Strait of Hormuz , off the coast of Iran, as an import corridor for raw materials and export metals. Owing to the recent geopolitical tensions in Iran, metal trade has been sensitive, with aluminium price shooting up 1.6 per cent to USD 3,190 per tonne. Hence, a surging trend is expected to follow in the month of March. As of the close of February, aluminium prices on the London Metal Exchange (LME) moved higher on February 27 compared to the previous session, with both cash and futures contracts registering gains, while exchange inventories recorded a decline. The LME aluminium cash bid price rose to USD 3,156.5 per tonne on February 27...
Note: This image is AI-generated and for illustrative purpose only 中文翻译附于新闻末尾，敬请继续阅读。 Firm aluminium prices, improved cost control, and easing input prices defined the operating performance of Press Metal Aluminium Holdings Berhad in 2025. The year began on a strong footing, with H1 revenue at RM 8.08 billion ( USD 2.08 billion) versus RM 7.56 billion (USD 1.94 billion) a year ago. Encouraged by this momentum, financial institutes like Hong Leong Investment Bank Bhd (HLIB) and the company itself heightened expectations for the second half of the year. Much before the year ended in December, Hong Leong Investment Bank Bhd (HLIB) reaffirmed its “BUY” call, raising its target price to RM 7.64 (USD 1.96). Earning momentum continues as much anticipated Just the way it was anticipated, Press...
The aluminium value chain moved through a week shaped less by routine output numbers and more by structural forces - environmental accountability, resource nationalism, tariff recalibration and fresh capacity ambitions. Across continents, governments and producers alike signalled that aluminium is increasingly tied to policy leverage and economic strategy. Environmental reckoning and resource retention In Western Australia, long-running tensions between environmental authorities and mining operations resurfaced as Alcoa reached a settlement with the Australian Department of the Environment over bauxite extraction in the North Jarrah Forest, south of Perth. The company agreed to pay USD 38.9 million (AUD 55 million) in penalties linked to clearing 2,100 hectares between 2019 and 2025. Of...
Global aluminium producers have proposed higher premiums of USD 220-250 per tonne to buyers in Japan for primary aluminium shipments, scheduled between April and June. For the global aluminium value-chain 2026 outlook, book our exclusive report “ Global ALuminium Industry Outlook 2026 " These proposed premiums represent an increase of about 13 to 28 per cent compared with the levels agreed upon in the previous quarter, according to sources directly involved in the ongoing quarterly pricing negotiations. Japan is among the largest aluminium exporters in Asia, and the quarterly premiums it agrees to pay above the London Metal Exchange cash price play a crucial role in establishing standard prices for the wider Asian market. Also read: January for Japan: Aluminium stocks slip 1.5% at the...
The UK’s last remaining primary aluminium smelter has just demonstrated how tariff asymmetry reshapes global metal flows faster than any policy white paper ever could. Alvance British Aluminium, operating out of Lochaber since 1929, has begun exporting to the United States for the first time in its history, diverting roughly half of its 48,000 tonnes per annum output across the Atlantic. The trigger is straightforward: tariff differentials under the US Section 232 regime. UK-origin aluminium faces a 25 per cent duty, while material from Canada and several other suppliers is subject to a 50 per cent tariff. That 25-point spread is not marginal, it is rather a price wedge. In a tariff-distorted market, the landed US price is no longer a simple function of LME plus freight. It becomes LME...
Note: This image is AI generated and for representation purpose only Momentum around Century Aluminum Company has picked up sharply in recent months, with a mix of operational progress and market enthusiasm driving attention towards the aluminium producer. The company’s shares recently touched a high of USD 55.75 before settling around USD 54.27, pushing its market capitalisation to roughly USD 5.44 billion. Over the past year, the stock has climbed nearly 189 per cent, reflecting sustained buying interest. Data from InvestingPro shows a total return of about 165 per cent during the same period. In spite of the steep rally, the platform’s valuation model suggests that the stocks may still run the risks of trading below their estimated fair value, while technical indicators point to...
Image generated by AI for representational purpose Aluminium prices on the London Metal Exchange (LME) moved higher on February 26 compared to the previous session, with both cash and futures contracts registering gains, while exchange inventories declined marginally. The LME aluminium cash bid price rose to USD 3120.5 per tonne on February 26 from USD 3106.5 per tonne on February 25, marking an increase of USD 14 or 0.45 per cent. The cash offer price edged up to USD 3121 per tonne from USD 3107 per tonne, also up USD 14 or 0.45 per cent. The three-month contract followed a similar trend. The LME aluminium 3-month bid price increased to USD 3146 per tonne on February 26 from USD 3131 per tonne on February 25, gaining USD 15 or 0.48 per cent. The 3-month offer price climbed to USD 3147...
Note: This image is AI-generated and for representation purpose only At Kotak Institutional Equities’ Chasing Growth 2026 conference, Sumangal Nevatia, analyst at Kotak Institutional Equities, set out a clear hierarchy within the metals space, and aluminium, in his view, sits firmly at the top. The analyst argued that the metal’s appeal lies not in exuberant demand assumptions, but in a structural imbalance that is proving difficult to resolve. Global consumption, he noted, is expanding at a steady annual pace of roughly 2-3 per cent. Under ordinary circumstances, that sort of growth might be manageable. The difficulty, however, is on the supply side. China, which dominates global output, has imposed a production ceiling of 45 million tonnes. Beyond China’s borders, the industry faces a...
Image generated by AI for representational purpose The image of leadership in heavy industry is changing. Where blazing potlines and control rooms were once seen as unlikely spaces for women, today they reflect a broader transformation underway across the aluminium sector. From smelters and power units to boardrooms and global institutions, women are steadily shaping operational excellence and strategic direction. On the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2026, AL Circle is releasing its special edition of e-Magazine “ Women in ALuminium: Real Stories. Real Shifts ” to celebrate the decisive shift in the sector once labelled rigid and male-dominated. The edition looks at the entire value chain - leaders and change-makers, shop-floor experts, HR and IT professionals, sales...
The National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) has launched a new IA91 grade aluminium alloy ingot. IA91 grade aluminium alloy ingot is a high-profile, silicon-based aluminium casting alloy. It is manufactured in ingot form (metal that has been cast into a solid, standardised bar shape) for use in metal casting processes. The main usage of the alloy ingot is in automotive components, electrical power equipment, industrial machinery and foundry applications. For the global aluminium value-chain 2026 outlook, book our exclusive report “ Global ALuminium Industry Outlook 2026 " A NALCO representative has mentioned, “Designed for advanced casting applications, it is ideally suited to gravity die casting and low-pressure die casting, with primary applications in the automotive, electrical and...
Aluminium prices on the London Metal Exchange (LME) registered gains on February 25 compared to the previous session, with both cash and futures contracts moving higher. The LME aluminium cash bid price increased to USD 3106.5 per tonne on February 25 from USD 3075 per tonne on February 24, marking a rise of 1.02 per cent. The cash offer price climbed to USD 3107 per tonne from USD 3077 per tonne, up 0.97 per cent. In the futures segment, the 3-month bid price advanced to USD 3131 per tonne on February 25 from USD 3101 per tonne on February 24, reflecting a 0.97 per cent increase. The 3-month offer price edged up to USD 3131.5 per tonne from USD 3102 per tonne, also gaining 0.95 per cent. For longer-dated contracts, the December 27 bid price rose to USD 3070 per tonne on February 25...
