Global primary aluminium production experienced a sequential recovery in the third quarter of 2026, supported by the gradual restoration of disrupted smelting capacity in the GCC countries, stronger operational performance in Europe and Oceania, and incremental production gains across Asia and China. But beneath this quarterly improvement lies a contrasting reality - global output remained below the corresponding levels of both 2025 and 2024. According to data from the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), global primary aluminium production reached 18.377 million tonnes in Q3 2026, an increase of 2.1 per cent from 18.003 million tonnes in the preceding quarter. However, compared with Q3 2025, when production totalled 18.683 million tonnes, output declined by 1.64 per cent. Production...
Europe's aluminium industry is facing mounting pressure from rising carbon costs, shifting trade policies and limited willingness among buyers to pay premiums for low-carbon metal. Yet, despite a series of crises since the Covid pandemic, producers remain committed to maintaining their presence in Europe and investing in decarbonisation, said Paul Voss, Director General of European Aluminium. In an exclusive interview with Fastmarkets at Aluminium Düsseldorf, Voss described the European aluminium industry's condition as bruised but resilient. He highlighted concerns over the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), the potential inclusion of indirect (Scope 2) emissions under the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and the treatment of aluminium scrap in carbon accounting. Reflecting on...
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Emirates Global Aluminium announced the successful completion of a $6.5 billion term loan facility with a group of leading global and regional banks. Danny Dweik, EGA’s Chief Financial Officer, said: “This refinancing is another major step in the implementation of our capital structure strategy. Building on the previous transaction in 2015, this transaction further consolidates our debt at the EGA level, and strengthens our credit profile. Going forward, EGA will strive to further fortify its balance sheet and diversify its sources of financing.” The term loan facility amends, extends and upsizes the company’s existing $4.9 billion term loan facility agreed in December 2015 and will also be used to fully repay a $1.8 billion term loan facility extended to EGA’s subsidiary Dubai Aluminium...
Social inventories of primary aluminium across eight major consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, came in at 1.378 million tonnes as of Thursday January 31. This marked a growth of 75,000 tonnes from Thursday January 24, Shanghai Metals Market data showed. For the same period, stocks in Wuxi, Jiangsu and Hangzhou, Zhejiang rose by 24,000 tonnes and 14,000 tonnes to stand at 513,000 tonnes and 131,000 tonnes. Stocks in Nanhai, Guangdong and Gongyi, Henan increased by 29,000 tonnes and 8,000 tonnes to stand at 211,000 tonnes and 127,000 tonnes. The below chart indicates the current status of primary aluminium inventories across China: Most downstream consumers began their Chinese New Year break and this accounted for the increase in primary aluminium inventories.
Republican U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley on Wednesday called on the Trump administration to lift tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada and Mexico before Congress begins considering legislation to implement the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade deal. The three countries on Nov. 30 signed the pact replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which governs more than $1.2 trillion in trade. The agreement must be approved by the U.S. Congress and Canadian and Mexican legislators before becoming law. “Unfortunately, our producers are unlikely to realize the market access promises of USMCA while the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada and Mexico remain,” Grassley, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement. His committee is...
The US dollar fell to a low not seen since January 11 after the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady as expected and sounded caution on the economy and future interest rate increases. LME aluminium rose 0.4% and SHFE aluminium nudged up 0.04%. LME aluminium closed Wednesday's trading at US$ 1871 per tonne. Shanghai Metals Market is expected to trade rangebound at US$1880-1919 per tonne today. As on January 30, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1870.50 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1871 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1889 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1890 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$ 2038 per tonne, and Dec 19 offer price stands at US$ 2043 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening stock decreased to 1289775 tonnes....
Aluminium has been the most talked-about non-ferrous metal in the year 2018 for many reasons. New tariffs, sanctions, trade wars on one hand; and developments and expansions on the other across the entire value chain emerged as non-avoidable circumstances in the year gone by. To start with, the temporary closure of Hydro’s Alunorte alumina refinery in Brazil and uncertainties surrounding U.S. sanctions on Rusal pushed up alumina price sky high driving the export market and boosting profits for integrated aluminium producers. Joining this, the levy of 25 per cent US tariffs on imported steel and 10 per cent on aluminium pushed the benchmark aluminium price on London Metal Exchange to its highest in almost 7 years at US$2602.5 per tonne in April 2018. Well, if the prices saw some...
According to The Financial Express report, India is likely to defer the levy of retaliatory tariffs to another 30 to 45 days from the revised deadline of January 31, 2019. This will be the fifth time that India would postpone its tit-for-tat duties worth close to US$235 million on 29 American products. New Delhi had initially planned to impose the retaliatory tariffs from August 4, 2018, but later on postponed to September 18, in a bid for the two nations to find a mutual solution. The Government then again deferred the deadline to November 2 and December 17. The Indian Government is repeatedly extending the tariffs deadline with an expectation to keep a tariff war between the two countries from flaring up, at least temporarily. Washington already raised the stake in its trade war against...
LME base metals traded mixed on Tuesday and aluminium rose 1.6%. SHFE base metals performed similarly overnight and aluminium gained 0.5%. LME aluminium closed Tuesday's trading at US$ 1853 per tonne. After hovering in a tight range above the daily moving average during Asian trading hours, the contract broke through the 10-, five- and 40-day moving averages to a high of US$1,901 per tonne during European trading hours. It finished Tuesday night higher at US$1,898 per tonne, and is expected to trade rangebound at US$1,880-1,905 per tonne today. As on January 29, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1852 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1853 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1875 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1875.50 per tonne; Dec 19 bid...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, Shandong Weiqiao Group reduced its prebaked anode purchasing prices by RMB 140 per tonne for February after it cut prices for January by RMB 1300 per tonne. This brought February’s purchasing prices to RMB 3,320 per tonne in cash and RMB 3,355 per tonne on acceptance. The prebaked anode price in east China market, however, remained the same at RMB 3,495 per tonne, as on January 30, 2019. The average prices are expected to range between RMB 3,395 per tonne and RMB 3,595 per tonne. The pre-baked anode price in the east China hovered at this price throughout the month of January, with no intermittent drops or rises. On the other hand, the A00 aluminium ingot price rose today, January 30, by RMB 70 per tonne to stand at RMB 13,360 per tonne, SMM found. The...
Shanghai Metals Market found that decline in primary aluminium prices today, on January 29, has fuelled purchasing enthusiasm among downstream consumers and triggered spot aluminium transactions across east-China as a result. The front-month aluminium contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange pared some overnight losses earlier in the morning, but later lost those gains. Spot discounts in Shanghai were seen at RMB 60 per tonne to RMB 50 per tonne against the SHFE 1902 contract, compared to RMB 70 per tonne to RMB 60 per tonne as on Monday, January 28. In Shanghai, Wuxi and Hangzhou, spot transactions were at RMB 13,290 per tonne to RMB 13,300 per tonne, which indicates that traded prices fell some RMB 120 per tonne from Monday morning. With arbitrage opportunities, traders were keen to...
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration’s decision to lift sanctions on Oleg Deripaska’s aluminium conglomerate Rusal and its parent company En+ Group despite strong opposition raised Rusal’s shares in the exchange and pushed back the LME aluminium prices. The move sent the Russian stock index to an all-time and the Hong-Kong listed shares in Rusal, the world's largest aluminium producer outside China, hit their highest since April on Monday, January 28 after rising 9 per cent. Aluminum prices on the London Metal Exchange (LME) dropped as much as 1.4 per cent after the opening yesterday. LME aluminium fell and closed at US$ 1860 per tonne yesterday from US$ 1877.5 per tonne last week. When sanctions were announced in April 2018, benchmark aluminium price on London Metal Exchange shot...
Being a media partner of the twin-event ALUMINIUM INDIA 2019 and INCAL Conference, we hereby, would like to take the opportunity to remind you that the events will begin in a day on January 31 till February 2 in Bhubaneswar to offer a mega platform for exchanging ideas on latest technological advances in the Aluminium industry. The most important industrial regions- India, China, North America, and Europe will come together during the occasions. The renowned trade fair ALUMINIUM INDIA 2019 will connect the international aluminium industry with producers, processors, and customers from India in order to initiate investment projects and business relations. Currently, India is one of the fastest-growing aluminium markets, with significant expansions in primary and downstream capabilities,...
The US dollar changed little against a basket of currencies on Monday as traders were cautious ahead of the Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting and trade talks between China and the US. Most LME base metals traded lower on Monday and aluminium fell 1.9%. SHFE base metals saw similar performance overnight and aluminium declined 1%. As the U.S. treasury lifted sanctions on aluminium giant Rusal and other Russian firms linked to oligarch Oleg Deripaska on January 27, LME aluminium fell and closed at US$ 1860 per tonne yesterday. LME aluminium fell past the 40-, five- and 10-day moving averages to close at US$1,868 per tonne after it jumped above the 60-day moving average to a day-high of US$1,914 tonne overnight. It is expected to weaken in a range of US$1,845-1,880 per tonne today. As...
In the background of growing social inventories of primary aluminium by around 31,000 tonnes over the weekend and low transactions in the spot market, the A00 aluminium ingot price has recorded a plunge today, January 29, by RMB 120 per tonne. According to Shanghai Metals Market, yesterday, on January 28, the price was at RMB 13,410 per tonne and today after the drop it hovers at RMB 13,290 per tonne. This takes the price again close to as low as it was in the mid of this month. The average prices today are expected to range between RMB 13,270 per tonne and RMB 13,310 per tonne, with spot discounts to settle at RMB 90 per tonne to RMB 50 per tonne. While this significant plunge has touched all the major markets in China, the A00 aluminium ingot price in the east (Wuxi and Hangzhou) has...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, spot aluminium transactions across eastern and southern markets kept muted on Monday, January 28, as most downstream consumers began their Chinese New Year break. This is the last week before the most important Chinese festival begins. The front-month aluminium contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange weakened in morning trade. In Shanghai, spot discounts were at RMB 70 per tonne to RMB 60 per tonne, compared to RMB 80 per tonne to RMB 60 per tonne on Friday morning, January 25. Spot transactions in Shanghai, Wuxi and Hangzhou were seen at RMB 13,410 per tonne to RMB 13,430 per tonne. Trade prices were up close to RMB 20 per tonne from Friday morning. In Guangdong, spot transactions were heard at RMB 13,440 per tonne to RMB 13,450 per tonne, with...
A Navaratna CPSE under Ministry of Mines National Aluminium Company Limited (Nalco) has reportedly aimed at achieving a net profit of over INR 1,600 crore and revenue of INR 12,000 crore during the on-going fiscal 2018-19. The news came after the company’s CMD Dr. Tapan Kumar Chand said: "We have a corporate plan to increase the turnover from the existing level of Rs. 10,000 crore to Rs. 30,000 crore. This year itself, we are likely to register a gross turnover of more than Rs. 12,000 crore." He further said the company aims to register a net profit of INR 1,600 crore as it eyes to 1 million tonnes of more alumina production and 1.2 million tonnes of more aluminium production. During the financial year 2017-18, Nalco had recorded a 10-years high net profit of INR 1,342 crore, up from INR...
As the most awaited move in the aluminium market, US Treasury on Sunday lifted sanctions on aluminium major Rusal and other Russian firms linked to oligarch Oleg Deripaska. Though there was pressure from the Democrats on the administration to continue with the sanctions, finally the sanctions were lifted with the fulfilment of the conditions. Advocates for sanctions had argued that Deripaska, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, retained too much control over the companies to lift sanctions imposed in April to punish Russia for a number of political and diplomatic actions. Some lawmakers from both parties were also not in favour of lifting the sanctions. The U.S. Treasury Department, in its statement said that the three sanctioned companies had reduced Deripaska's direct and...
The US dollar index fell to a week-low on Friday, as traders refocused on the Federal Reserve's policy meeting next week when the US central bank is expected to keep interest rates unchanged. LME base metals traded higher on Friday. LME Aluminium climbed over 1%.SHFE base metals performed similarly and aluminium increased by some 0.4%. LME aluminium closed last week’s trading higher at US$1866.5 per tonne on Friday January 25. Following losses in the US dollar, LME aluminium shrugged off resistance at the 60-day moving average to the day’s high of US$1,919 per tonne before it lost some gains to end at US$1,905 per tonne on Friday night. It is expected to weaken in a range of US$1,880-1,905 per tonne today as the U.S. treasury lifted sanctions on aluminium giant Rusal and other Russian...
Social inventories of primary aluminium in China have further extended a growth over the weekend ended on Monday, January 28, as some downstream consumers begun Chinese New Year break resulting in lowered consumptions, Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) found. Thus, after a further rise, the inventories across eight major Chinese consumption areas, including SHFE warrants, have come in at 1.334 million tonnes, up 31,000 tonnes from Thursday, January 24, SMM data showed. In Wuxi and Jiangsu, the primary aluminium inventories have increased from 489,000 tonnes to 502,000 tonnes, up 13,000 tonnes but in Shanghai, the inventories have dropped by 1,000 tonnes from 300,000 on January 24 to 299,000 on January 28. However, in Nanhai and Guangdong, and Hangzhou and Zhejiang, the inventories have grown...
