In the first half (H1) of 2026, the US imported a total of 1.68 million metric tons of unwrought aluminum (HSN code: 7601), of which 16.96% was sourced from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). How has H1 2026 fared for the momentum of unwrought aluminum exports from the UAE to the US? Year-on-year cooling in trade can be noticed, largely owing to the temporary shutdown of the Emirates Global Aluminium’s (EGA’s) Al Taweelah smelter for repair and maintenance. Explore the production, demand and consumption forecasts of bauxite and alumina in our report: “ Global Bauxite & Alumina Market Forecast to 2036: Supply–Demand, Trade Flows & Price Outlook ” H1 aluminum trade snapshot: 2026 vs 2025 vs 2024 Comparing the H1 2026 figures of unwrought aluminum exported by the UAE to the US, a mixed result...
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...
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Century Aluminum’s stock rally has gathered fresh momentum, with shares climbing past USD 42.85. The move places the stock close to its 52-week high of USD 45.58, well above its 52-week low of USD 13.05, underscoring renewed confidence in the US-based primary aluminium producer amid tightening supply dynamics and growing demand for low-carbon aluminium. Analyst upgrades reshape the investment narrative Following the share hike, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating in a research report dated Wednesday, October 8. Similarly, Wells Fargo & Company also assigned a “hold” rating, raising its price target from USD 37.00 to USD 46.00. Other firms like BMO Capital Markets and B. Riley lifted target prices from USD 30.00 to USD 34.00 and USD 25.00 to USD 28.00, respectively, reaffirming a...
LME aluminium prices declined on January 8 compared with the previous trading session, while exchange inventories showed notable shifts in warrant positioning. On January 8, the LME aluminium cash bid stood at USD 3,080 per tonne and the cash offer at USD 3,081 per tonne, down from USD 3,091.5 and USD 3,092 per tonne respectively on January 7. This represented a 0.37 per cent decline in the cash bid and a 0.36 per cent decline in the cash offer day on day. The LME aluminium 3-month contract also weakened. On January 8, the 3-month bid was USD 3,089 per tonne and the offer was USD 3,090 per tonne, compared with USD 3,112 per tonne and USD 3,112.5 per tonne on January 7. This marked a 0.74 per cent drop in the 3-month bid and a 0.72 per cent decline in the offer. To know more about the...
Vedanta Ltd’s share price declined on January 8, as markets reacted to news of the death of Agnivesh Agarwal, son of Vedanta Group chairman Anil Agarwal. After the news broke, around 11 am, the stock was trading at INR 596.55. It later recovered slightly but remained lower at INR 605.55, a decline of 2.68 per cent from the previous close of INR 622.20. Shares of Hindustan Zinc Ltd also came under pressure during the session. The stock, which had closed at INR 630 in the previous trading session, opened lower at INR 623 and later slipped to a range of INR 590 – INR 591.30, marking a decline of roughly 6.1 per cent to 6.4 per cent from the previous day’s close. Anil Agarwal called it the “darkest” day of his life. Also read: Agnivesh Agarwal, son of Vedanta chairman, succumbs to cardiac...
Image source: X/@AnilAgarwal_Ved Agnivesh Agarwal, son of Vedanta Group chairman Anil Agarwal, passed away at the age of 49 after suffering a cardiac arrest during treatment in the United States following a skiing accident. Anil Agarwal described the death as a “medical setback” while his son was undergoing treatment at Mount Sinai Hospital. In an emotional post on X, he said Agnivesh had been recovering well after the accident and was believed to be out of danger before the sudden cardiac arrest. “We believed the worst was behind us,” he wrote, adding that fate intervened unexpectedly. Born on June 3, 1976, in Patna, Bihar, Agnivesh Agarwal grew up to become what his father described as a respected business leader and a compassionate individual. He studied at Mayo College in Rajasthan...
China’s non-ferrous metals industry is moving decisively towards large-scale industrial deployment of artificial intelligence in complex industrial scenarios.The shift was highlighted recently in Beijing with the unveiling of Kun’an 2.0, a purpose-built AI large model for the non-ferrous metals sector, alongside a series of digital transformations. Building on Kun’an 1.0, which was released last year as the industry’s first dedicated AI large model, Kun’an 2.0 has significantly expanded its capabilities. The upgraded platform now covers more than 100 application scenarios spanning mining, smelting, processing, safety management and energy optimisation. Of these, 52 scenarios with strong potential for wider industry adoption were officially released, supported by eight high-quality...
The London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminium price on January 7, 2026, showed a decline in cash bid and offer, but remained at the forwards contracts. The inventory also fell, but the LME alumina platts gained from the previous close. Both the LME cash bid and offer fell by USD 0.5 per tonne and USD 1 per tonne, respectively, where the bid settled at USD 3,091.5 per tonne and the offer at USD 3,092 per tonne. Don’t miss out- Buyers are looking for your products on our B2B platform A contradictory movement was witnessed at the LME 3-month bid and offer price, where the bid moved up USD 1 per tonne and settled at USD 3,112 per tonne and the offer inched up USD 0.5 per tonne, marking the price at USD 3,112.5 per tonne. At the forward contract, the December 27 bid and offer showed no change from...
China has long capped its domestic primary aluminium production at 45 million tonnes, a ceiling designed to curb industrial emissions and contain environmental risk. In 2025, it finished the year with 88.2 million tonnes of alumina and around 44 million tonnes of primary aluminium, in line with the industry’s two-to-one production ratio. But as that cap presses tighter, Chinese companies are not slowing down. Instead, they are shifting strategy - pushing capital, technology and industrial muscle overseas so that aluminium keeps flowing, even if it is increasingly produced on other people’s soil. And in this expanding map, Indonesia has already become the central pillar, while China’s projects in Saudi Arabia - only a handful tied to aluminium so far - leave open the question of whether...
With the vision of further empowering the leadership team of the state-owned aluminium major player, National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) has named Shri Anil Kumar Singh as the Commercial Director of its Board. Appointment of Mr Singh was made official via an order sent out by the Ministry of Mines, Government of India, on January 5, 2026. The appointee is deemed to hold the position from the assumed date of charge till his superannuation, which is dated on September 30, 2028 or till said otherwise. The appointment, however, is considered to be dependent on the outcome of OA No. 352/2025, which is currently before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) in Cuttack. Must read: Key industry individuals share their thoughts on the trending topics The update about the stock exchange...
With a significantly high production output, Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) has closed 2025 with its strongest performance to date, thus remaining unrivalled in its annual target, in spite of operational challenges following the fire. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+ reports across the value chain The largest single-site smelter produced 1623139 tonnes of aluminium during the year, which is a bit higher than 1622261 tonnes recorded in 2024. Alongside an upward growth momentum, the company also reached a landmark safety milestone with more than 42 million work hours without a Lost Time Injury (LTI), securing two consecutive LTI-free years for the first time in its 50-year history. Chief executive Ali Al Baqali said the results reflected the organisation’s ability...
LME aluminium prices showed mixed movement on January 6, while inventories slipped from the previous session.On January 6, the LME aluminium cash bid stood at USD 3,092 per tonne compared with USD 3,021.5 per tonne on January 5, a gain of USD 70.5, equal to about 2.33 per cent. The cash offer on January 6 was USD 3,093 per tonne, down from USD 3,135 per tonne on January 5, a decline of USD 42, or around 1.34 per cent. The 3-month bid on January 6 was USD 3,111 per tonne, higher than USD 3,050 per tonne on January 5, up USD 61, or roughly 2 per cent. The 3-month offer rose to USD 3,112 per tonne on January 6 from USD 3,051 per tonne on January 5, also higher by USD 61, or about 2 per cent. For the December 27 contract, the bid on January 6 stood at USD 3,130 per tonne versus USD 3,073 per...
The shares of leading aluminium producer National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO) surged 6 per cent to a record intraday high of INR 351.70 (USD 3.90) on January 6, following a surge in aluminium prices above USD 3,000 per tonne . By 1:33 PM IST, NALCO stock was up by 5.05 per cent, standing at INR 347.50 (USD 3.86) on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). To know about 2026 aluminium market trends and analyses, prebook our report: Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2026 The rally mirrors sharp moves on the London Metal Exchange (LME), where aluminium prices stood at USD 3,022.50 per tonne as of January 5 , for the first time since 2022. Market reports say the upswing is being fuelled by tight global inventories, driven by a cap on Chinese smelting capacity and production curbs in Europe due to...
BofA Securities has brought a revised stance on Aluminium Corporation of China (NYSE: ACH) by reducing its price target from USD 4.20 to USD 2.50 while maintaining an Underperform status. The new target, which has been set, only offers a small margin above the current share price of USD 2.32, highlighting the stock’s sharp decline over the past year. ACH shares have plunged 82 per cent and are trading near a 52-week low of USD 2.30. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with 50+ reports across the value chain The brokerage attributed the downgrade to ongoing uncertainties in the company’s short-term performance. At present, ACH is dealing with challenges that seem short-term, though significant, such as the loss of the Kaiser contract. InvestingPro forecasts a 74 per...
Image source: https://www.alcircle.com/ Vedanta Limited, the mine-to-market serving conglomerate, makes a milestone record as its share prices soar with the highest-ever aluminium, alumina, and zinc output in the third quarter (Q3) of the financial year 2025-2026. The trend remained steady with the Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta announcing an upward production update in the same quarter. On January 2, the Vedanta shares closed at INR 616.95 per share on BSE, 2.45 per cent higher with a market capitalisation of INR 2.41 billion (USD 26.73 billion). The stock had touched an intraday low of INR 604 per share and an intraday high of INR 618.25 per share. Explore- Most accurate data to drive business decisions with Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2026 across the value chain The quarter-on-quarter...
On January 05, 2025, the London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminium prices maintained the upward trend from the previous day’s close. The LME inventory showed a decline in the opening stock and cancelled warrants; however, the live warrants showed no change. The LME cash bid rose by USD 36 per tonne or 1.2 per cent from USD 2,985.5 per tonne to USD 3,021.5 per tonne. Concurrently, the offer rose by USD 36.5 per tonne or 1.22 per cent, from USD 2,986 per tonne to USD 3,022.5 per tonne. Don’t miss out- Buyers are looking for your products on our B2B platform The rising trend followed at the forwards contract where the LME 3-month bid rose by USD 40 per tonne or 1.33 per cent, reaching USD 3,050 per tonne from USD 3,010 per tonne. The 3-month offer expanded by USD 40.5 per tonne or 1.35 per cent...
Tightened supply outlook and long-term demand bets have taken the three-month LME aluminium contract to USD 3,015.50 per tonne for the first time in more than three years, as of Friday, January 2, 2026. Perhaps, this is the beginning of price rally as projected by many market analysts for 2026. China’s self-imposed 45-million-tonne cap on primary aluminium production, trade restrictions driven by tariffs, and smelter shutdowns caused by prolonged energy crises have constrained global supply of the metal. Meanwhile, demand remains resilient, creating a widening gap that has set the stage for a price surge. Global deficit outlook strengthens price momentum Market intelligence projects a global deficit of around 2 million tonnes in 2026, sending the aluminium prices to an average of USD...
LME aluminium prices firmed between December 31, 2025 and January 2, 2026, while exchange inventories slipped slightly. On January 2, 2026, the LME aluminium cash bid price stood at USD 2,985.5 per tonne and the cash offer at USD 2,986 per tonne, rising about 0.61 per cent from USD 2,967.5 per tonne and USD 2,968 per tonne on December 31, 2025. The LME aluminium 3-month contract also strengthened. The 3-month bid price was USD 3,010 per tonne and the 3-month offer was USD 3,010.5 per tonne on January 2, 2026, up roughly 0.74 per cent and 0.69 per cent respectively from USD 2,988 per tonne and USD 2,990 per tonne on December 31, 2025. To know more about the global primary aluminium industry 2026 outlook, pre-book the report “ Global Aluminium Industry Outlook 2026 ” at a special price....
As we look ahead to 2026, the global aluminium value chain is experiencing some significant shifts with changing trade flows, updated policies and price signals reshaping the core market dynamics. Notable fluctuations in bauxite and alumina imports in major consuming regions, alongside stricter production controls and evolving carbon regulations. The industry is juggling a tricky blend of supply discipline, sustainability demands and geopolitical adjustments. Meanwhile, stronger price trends on global exchanges and specific government initiatives are introducing new uncertainties and opportunities throughout both upstream and downstream sectors, paving the way for important developments in the near future. Aluminium upstream weekly recap by AL Circle Pvt Ltd Unfolding the production,...
The share price of Norsk Hydro ASA has settled into a narrow trading range, reflecting the sheer tension in the market over the short-term volatility in the aluminium market and the company’s efforts in the energy transition. However, after a few consecutive sessions of subdued trade, the stock appears a bit stable, which is neither decisively bullish nor overtly fragile. This has triggered debate on whether the current scenario represents consolidation ahead of recovery or a pause before renewed weakness. However, the sentiment around the Norwegian aluminium producer is somewhat balanced at this hour, and trading over recent days has been confined to a narrow corridor, highlighting hesitation rather than conviction. Short-term traders remain focused on aluminium prices, developments in...
