LME aluminium prices gained ground on November 4, with cash and futures contracts moving higher. The Asian Reference Price also edged up, while exchange inventories declined. Alumina Platts prices, however, moved slightly lower. The cash bid rose by USD 53.50 per tonne , or 1.74 per cent, to USD 3,134.50 per tonne from USD 3,081 per tonne. The cash offer increased 1.72 per cent to USD 3,135 per tonne from USD 3,082 per tonne. Three-month aluminium prices also advanced. The bid climbed 1.08 per cent to USD 3,073 per tonne on November 4 from USD 3,040 per tonne, while the offer gained 1.05 per cent to USD 3,074 per tonne. It was previously at USD 3,042 per tonne . Explore the production, demand and consumption forecasts of bauxite and alumina in our report: " Global Bauxite & Alumina Market...
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...
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Liberty House, the industrial group owned by Sanjeev Gupta, is in talks to acquire aluminium and steel assets in the UAE as the company looks to expand its presence in the Middle East, according to news published by The National. David Dawson, the chief executive of Liberty House Industries, a unit of the parent company, said: “We are significantly advanced on two particular acquisitions and hope to make some announcement in the next year.” “We are keen to establish our industrial presence in the Middle East and what we are really doing in many ways is replicating our global strategy.” Mr Dawson said that the Liberty House Industries expects its revenue to grow up to 20% in 2019 in the region if the acquisition in the UAE is finalised. “Despite some market challenges around the region, we...
The US dollar index recovered to 97 on Friday from a month-low on Thursday after the Federal Reserve signalled fewer interest rate hikes over the next two years and expressed caution about the US economic outlook. LME base metals, except for tin, traded lower on Friday with aluminium fell 0.4%. SHFE aluminium inched up 0.1%. The LME aluminium contract closed Friday’s trading at US$ 1920 per tonne, from US$ 1923.50 per tonne on Thursday, December 20. LME aluminium fell to close at US$1,907 per tonne on Friday night as the US mulled lifting Rusal sanctions. SMM expects the metal to trade at US$1,890-1,920 per tonne today. As on December 21, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1919 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1920 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, social inventories of primary aluminium across eight major consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, dropped 4,000 tonnes over the weekend ended on Monday, December 24, to stand at 1.276 million tonnes. The decline was, however, slower compared to the previous day, primarily because of more arrivals from smelters over the weekend. The current status of primary aluminium inventories across China is given in the chart below: In the background, the spot price of A00 aluminium ingot recorded a jump today, on December 24, from RMB 13,560 per tonne to RMB 13,620 per tonne, marking a growth of RMB 60 per tonne. This marks a rise for the second day in a row after a plunge on December 20, from RMB 13,590 per tonne to RMB 13,510 per tonne. On December...
According to a Reuters report, trading house Marubeni has projected Japan aluminium premiums to rise towards a range of between US$100 and US$130 a tonne in late 2019 due to tighter global supplies despite Rusal getting back into action. LME aluminium prices sank to a 16-month low on Thursday on the news that it would withdraw sanctions on Rusal in one month. “We didn’t expect the U.S. to lift the sanction on Rusal this early, but aluminium market has largely discounted the lifting for some time,” Hideya Kitamura, general manager at Marubeni’s light metals section, told reporters on Thursday. He also added that aluminium price would recover next year on supply tightness and premiums would rise above $100 a tonne in and after April during pick demand season. Japan being Asia’s top...
According to a report by Reuters, China’s aluminium producers are set to cut more than 800,000 tonnes per year of smelting capacity. The news came after analysts from Antaike attending a key smelter meeting in the southern region of Guangxi today said this. However, the analysts attending the meeting did not say over what time period that capacity cuts would be made. In 2018, smelters by now have closed more than 3.2 million tonnes of capacity; about 80 per cent of it in the second half of the year amid a slump in aluminium prices, said Antaike analysts. The incessant fall of aluminium prices and slow demand for the metal this year has brought together the major aluminium producers of China in Guangxi on December 21. Aluminium futures on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) are down 13.5...
Canada seemed to have been all ears to the tariff exemption request from the construction industry in British Columbia in November. British Columbia is the westernmost province in Canada that depends primarily on imported metal. On Wednesday, December 19, Canada reportedly announced that it would exclude some aluminium and steel imported from the US from its newest tariffs and quotas. The government said it would also give additional relief to some companies that have contractual obligations. In Canada, automakers frequently buy US steel under contract and distribute among Canadian suppliers as well as feed their own plants. However, it was not immediately clear which companies would be affected. Canada also said on Wednesday that it would give relief for steel product imports that were...
European Aluminium has appointed Emilio Braghi as the association’s Chairman. Braghi has been appointed for a two-year term starting on 1 January 2019. Emilio Braghi is Senior Vice President and President at Novelis Europe, overseeing ten European facilities for recycling aluminium and manufacturing aluminium rolled products for a number of sectors, including automotive, building, packaging and transportation. “I am delighted to be appointed the new Chairman of European Aluminium at a crucial time for our industry. During my chairmanship, ensuring a long-term vision of industrial competitiveness, sustainability and innovation while addressing global trade challenges will remain key priorities. To realise this vision, we will continue to work with policymakers and other stakeholdersto...
The US dollar index saw its largest daily percentage drop in six weeks on Thursday after the Federal Reserve signalled fewer interest rate hikes over the next two years. LME base metals traded mixed on Thursday and SHFE base metals ended in the black across the board overnight. LME Aluminium rose 0.4% and SHFE aluminium inched up 0.2%. The LME aluminium contract closed Thursday’s trading at US$ 1923.50 per tonne, lower than last closing after the contract lost momentum on the news of lifting of sanctions on Rusal. As the US dollar index fell below 97, LME aluminium traded higher on Thursday night, but ended at US$1,915.5 per tonne. With weakness in the dollar, LME aluminium is likely to rebound slightly and trade at US$1,915-1,930 per tonne today. As on December 20, Thursday, LME...
According to a report by a Romanian daily financial newspaper Ziarul Financiar, local brokerage firm Swiss Capital successfully placed 241 million shares of Romanian aluminium producer Alro Slatina through an accelerated book build (ABB). The shares sold represented a stake of nearly 34 per cent in the company and the value of the deal amounted to RON 723 million, equivalent to EUR 155 million. The transaction closed at a price of RON 3 per share, 11.5 per cent under Alro’s closing price on December 18. This summer, Alro’s major shareholder Vimetco attempted to sell a 54 per cent stake in Alro through a secondary public offering (SPO) but failed. The targeted price range in the SPO was RON 3.5-4. In the first nine months of 2018, Alro recorded a net profit of RON 203 million (EUR 43.6...
As reported by Shanghai Metals Market, social inventories of primary aluminium across eight consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, stood at 1.28 million tonnes as of Thursday December 20, down 15,000 tonnes from 1.295 million tonnes on December 13. As social warehouses saw more arrivals this week, the week-over-week decline in stocks was smaller than a 57,000 tonnes drop in the previous week. Compared to last Thursday, inventories in Wuxi and Jiangsu plunged by 12,000 tonnes to stand at 530,000 tonnes while that in Nanhai and Guangdong dropped by 13,000 tonnes to clock at 153,000 tonnes. Primary aluminium inventories in Hangzhou, Zhejiang and Tianjin increased by 11,000 tonnes and 3,000 tonnes and stood at 103,000 tonnes and 57,000 tonnes respectively.
2018 has been Aluminium Stewardship Initiative’s first year of implementation as an independent third-party certification program for the global aluminium value chain. The organization continued adding new and significant members to its certification program from all over the world and from different segments of the aluminium value chain while reiterating their commitments towards sustainability in aluminium. The organization increased outreach and engagement in China in 2018. 10 ASI Certifications have been issued in the first 12 months, covering all parts of the aluminium value chain. 18 educational modules from ASI are now available on YouTube and it has delivered training to more than 100 people. Daniel Weston, ASI Board Chair, says "ASI’s purpose is to make a difference, and that...
Alcoa Corporation announced that the company will cut half of the one operating potline’s 138,000 tonnes per year capacity at the Aluminerie de Bécancour Inc. (ABI) smelter in Québec, Canada. Alcoa owns 75 per cent of the aluminium smelter and Rio Tinto Alcan owns the remainder. The Bécancour aluminium smelter has nameplate capacity of 413,000 tonnes per year, across its three potlines. “Two of the facility’s potlines were curtailed on January 11, 2018, after union members rejected a proposed labor agreement for hourly employees. Since the lockout, ABI’s salaried employees have operated the one potline, performed maintenance, restored stability and improved metal quality, Alcoa said on Wednesday. Alcoa said the additional curtailment is necessary to ensure continued safety and maintenance...
The US Treasury announced on Wednesday, December 19, about its intention to remove sanctions against Oleg Deripaska-owned Rusal, which is the parent company of the Aughinish Alumina plant in Limerick. The Irish foreign ministry said in a statement that the Aughinish Alumina plant would be free from the threat of sanctions following a 30-day Congressional review period. The facility churns out a third of Europe’s alumina. The deadline for complying with the sanctions extended several times before, and now it is until January 21, 2019. The United States had declared earlier that the sanctions could be removed against Rusal if Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska relinquished control of the company. So, the three Deripaska companies - Rusal, En+ and power firm EuroSibEnergo - have agreed to...
According to the latest update from the market, LME aluminium prices plunged to a 16-month low in early Asian trade on Thursday after the United States said it would withdraw sanctions on UC Rusal. The dollar came off its lows but remained weaker on Wednesday anticipating fewer interest rate hikes than it had in September. LME base metals mostly gained on Wednesday but aluminium fell some 1%. SHFE base metals traded higher across the board overnight and aluminium grew some 0.3%. The LME aluminium contract closed yesterday’s trading at US$ 1928 per tonne, much lower than last closing. LME fell to a low of US$1,906.5 per tonne from the 10-day moving average on Wednesday and closed at US$1,908 per tonne overnight. LME aluminium is likely to trade weaker at US$1,900-1,930 per tonne. As on...
The A00 aluminium ingot price again witnessed a drop today, on December 20.A00 aluminium Ingot price dropped by RMB 80 per tonne to RMB 13510 per tonne. The average prices today are expected to range between RMB 13490 per tonne and RMB 13530 per tonne, with spot discounts to settle at RMB 90 to RMB 50 per tonne. All the major markets in China also recorded a decline today. In the east Wuxi, the ingot price dropped by RMB 65 per tonne to RMB 13505 per tonne while in Hangzhou, the price declined by RMB 70 per tonne to RMB 13530 per tonne. In the south and north, the prices are hovering at RMB 13690 per tonne and RMB 13500 per tonne respectively. In south, the price is expected to range between RMB 13670 per tonne and RMB 13710 per tonne; in north, the price is expected to range between RMB...
China’s aluminium producers will hold a meeting in Guangxi to discuss falling prices of aluminium and slow demand for the metal, a Reuter report says. China being the world’s largest aluminium producer and consumer is concerned over the fact that aluminium smelters are struggling to turn a profit, even after significant output cuts The source said that the meeting is being called by China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNIA), the representing organization for the industry. The meeting will be held on Friday in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi, to discuss the current market situation, the Reuter sources said. China Hongqiao Group, the world’s biggest aluminium producer is expected to be represented by the general manager of its sales unit. A second source, an executive at Aluminum...
Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the UAE outside oil and gas, and the aluminium sector account for 1.4 per cent of the UAE economy, according to an expert study. The sector also supported 60,950 jobs in 2017 with one in every 100 people working in the UAE is employed in the aluminium sector. His Excellency Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, UAE Minister of Economy, said: “The UAE is proud of the leading national institutions it currently boasts across a number of vital sectors – chief amongst them the aluminium sector, which has contributed to the reputation and economic competitiveness the country enjoys on both the regional and international stage. The UAE today is considered one of the world’s largest exporters of this resource – one that is critical to a number...
On Monday, December 17, India yet again deferred enforcing retaliatory duties on 29 imported products from the US worth US$235 million by another 45 days. The implementation of the duty hike has been postponed until January 31, 2019, according to a notification by the finance ministry. In June, India announced its decision to hike import duty on 29 products from the US with effect from August 4, as a retaliatory measure against the Trump administration’s decision to levy additional tariffs on certain aluminium and steel products imported from India. The Indian government later postponed the implementation of the tariff to September 18, , and then again to November 2 and December 17. The higher import duty on the US products, if come into effect, will include apples,almonds and walnuts....
