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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Qatar Petroleum's Qatar Aluminium Manufacturing Company or Qamco shares will start trading on QSE from December 10. According to the discussions that took place in Qamco’s first general assembly meeting on December 2, the shares of Qamco are expected to begin trading on the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) from December 10, 2018. In October, Qamco, the Qatari public joint stock company announced its plans to sell 49 per cent of its shares in a public offering. The AGM was held after the successful completion of the initial public offering (IPO) process recently, which was oversubscribed. The board also received an approval for the Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association to constitute the Company. The meeting, presided over by Abdulrahman Ahmad Al Shaibi, Chairman of Qamco, also...
According to Shanghai Metal Market, Weiqiao Group lowered its prebaked anode purchasing prices by RMB 50 per tonne after it kept the prices flat on the month in November. For December, the prices are hovering at RMB3,590 per tonne in cash and RMB 3,625 per tonne on acceptance. On the other hand, prebaked anode prices in Central, South-west and North-west remained unchanged at RMB 3660 per tonne, RMB 4000 per tonne, and RMB 4100 per tonne respectively. A00 aluminium ingot prices registered a jump today, December 3, 2018. Ingot price gained RMB 180 per tonne to stand at RMB 13,680 per tonne. The average prices today are expected to range between RMB 13,660 per tonne and RMB 13,700 per tonne, with spot discounts to settle at RMB 90 per tonne to RMB 50 per tonne. A00 aluminium ingot prices...
The dollar strengthened on Friday night, as markets awaited the outcome of talks between the leaders of the world's two biggest economies at the G-20 summit. Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump agreed to a temporarily pause an escalating trade war. A White House statement about the leaders' dinner said that Xi and Trump agreed to hold off on additional tariffs on each other's after January 1, as talks continued between both countries. LME base metals ended in mixed territory and aluminium rose 0.85%. SHFE base metals, however, traded higher across the board on Friday night. After closing Friday’s trading at US$ 1935 per tonne, LME aluminium started strengthening at night on anticipation of positive outcome from G-20 summit. The contract ended at US$1950 per tonne on...
The Aluminum Association joined global aluminium association leaders from Brazil, Canada, the EU, Japan and Mexico and signed a letter to leaders of the G20 calling for renewed commitment “to tackling the issue of market-distorting aluminium overcapacity.” The association leaders, in the letter urged to tackle the overcapacity issue which is distorting the international market and putting aluminium producers across the entire value chain at risk. They insisted that this has been happening due to state subsidy. They insisted that free trade can be an engine of prosperity, social mobility and peace only when businesses are able to operate on a level playing field. The leaders expressed their concern about the persistent growth in overcapacity in both the upstream and mid- and downstream...
Canada, the U.S. and Mexico signed the new North American trade agreement on Friday, November 30, on the sidelines of the Group OF G20 summit in Buenos Aires. The new agreement, officially known as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), still needs to be ratified by legislators in all three countries before it can formally take effect. The three agreed on a deal in principle to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which governs more than $1.2 trillion of mutual trade, after acrimonious negotiations concluded on September 30. “This new agreement will ensure a future of prosperity and innovation for Mexico, Canada, and the United States,” Donald Trump said. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the new deal “lifts the risk of serious economic uncertainty that...
The US dollar traded robustly last week. After a slight fall in the mid-week dollar recovered but remained under 97 as concerns before the G20 meeting prompted investors to buy back the currency. LME aluminium continued to trade weakly over the weak but recovered some losses towards the end of the week. The contract saw a trading range of US$1912.50-1,935 per tonne, lower than the last week. The LME aluminium contract started the week at US$1920 per tonne and continued its downward trend with the US dollar holding steady against a currency basket and in absence of strong market fundamentals. The contract plunged to US$1912.50 per tonne mid-week and regained slowly at the end of the week when the dollar consolidated and in anticipation of a resolving of the U.S. China trade war during G20...
According to the latest update from Shanghai Metals Market, China exported some 11,154 tonnes of anhydrous aluminium fluoride, a raw material in aluminium smelting, in October 2018, an increase of 237 per cent from October 2017. On month on month, the export volume dropped 19 per cent from September 2018. Russia remained the top importer of anhydrous aluminium fluoride from China. China’s exports to Russia increased 102 per cent MoM to 3,384 tonnes, showed data from China Customs on Thursday November 29. Exports to Australia stood at 1,224 tonnes in October, an increase of 4 per cent from September 2018. This made Australia the second largest export destination for anhydrous aluminium fluoride, the data showed.
Headquartered in Beijing, Aluminium Corp of China Ltd., also known as Chalco, is reportedly reducing output on some of its aluminium production lines in northern China because of Chinese aluminium price plunge to a two-year low, announced the company itself on Friday, November 30. Shanghai aluminium prices today, on November 30, ended down 0.8 per cent at RMB 13,555 per tonne, the lowest close since September 30, 2016. Chalco said to the Shanghai Stock Exchange that it would shut around 470,000 tonnes of annual aluminium production at units in Shanxi Huasheng and Shandong Huayu, subject to flexible output arrangements. According to the company’s annual report, this 470,000 tonnes figure accounts for nearly 12 per cent of Chalco’s 3.93 million tonnes of primary aluminium capacity at the...
The leading aluminium event in the Middle East, the annual ARABAL conference, hosted by Kuwait Industries, took place in Kuwait from 11 to 13 November. The event was officially inaugurated by H.E. Khaled AlRoudan, Minister of Commerce and Industry. ARABAL 2018 conference highlighted the success of the Middle East Aluminium industry in last three decades and sought to find innovations for a sustainable aluminium industry in future. Commenting on the event and the industry, ARABAL Chairman Mr Mohammed Al Naki said, “The GCC has been looking for ways to diversify its industry and income and aluminium is now a key sector for the region. When we started ARABAL 35 years ago there were only three smelters and production was extremely low. Now we have 6 smelters and aluminium production has...
The US dollar recovered but remained under 97 as concerns before the G20 meeting prompted investors to buy back the currency. At the G20 summit in Buenos Aires on Friday and Saturday, the US President Donald Trump and China President Xi Jinping are scheduled to discuss trade issues after months of tension between the world's two biggest economies. After falling to a new low, LME aluminium recovered some losses and closed Thursday’s trading at US$ 1933 per tonne. However, the contract failed to stand firm above the 10-day moving average at night with resistance at the 20-day moving average. The contract is likely to trade at US$1,920-1,940 per tonne today. As on November 29, Thursday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1931per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, the A00 aluminium ingot price has extended a plunge even today, on November 30, by RMB 80 per tonne to stand at RMB 13,500 per tonne. This marks the fifth consecutive fall throughout the week since November 26. The average prices today are expected to range between RMB 13,480 per tonne and RMB 13,520 per tonne, with spot discounts remaining the same at RMB 70 per tonne to RMB 30 per tonne. The ingot price in the east-China (Wuxi and Hangzhou) has come in at RMB 13,505 per tonne from RMB 13,565 as of November 30, marking a drop by RMB 60 per tonne. In the south and north, the prices today are standing at RMB 13,570 per tonne and RMB 13,500 per tonne after a drop by RMB 80 per tonne and RMB 70 per tonne from yesterday. The reasons behind the incessant...
Hydro will present its overall strategic direction and performance, including an update on the situation at the Alunorte alumina refinery and details on the market outlook for 2019 and the longer term at the Capital Markets Day 2018. Hydro said in the short-term it is working hard to resume full operations at Alunorte, following nine months of running at 50 percent production. “We are aiming to establish a common platform with authorities and the court system to have an aligned way forward towards full production, utilizing the best available technology. We have what it takes: the right people, the right technology and the right spirit,” President and CEO Svein Richard Brandtzæg said. Hydro expects global demand for primary aluminium to grow by 2-3% in 2019, with a continued deficit in...
In a press release, European Aluminium has welcomed the European Commission’s new plans to secure a long-term decarbonised economy by 2050. The Association also added that New 2050 climate strategy can take aluminium value chains as a role model to achieve its carbon economy targets. European Aluminium said that there is an urgent need to embrace strong sustainability programmes and redefine business models. “Our industry is working for many years to put efficiencies, incremental and breakthrough innovation in action. There is no choice but to enhance the potential of our strategic material and its unique low carbon applications by decarbonising all our processes from primary production to recycling,” said Gerd Götz, European Aluminium’s Director General. European Aluminium is working...
Shanghai Metals Market research found spot aluminium downstream buyers across east-China markets remained quiet today, on November 29, even as spot discounts widened. Sellers continued to show their enthusiasms to offload cargoes, learned SMM. The SHFE 1812 contract extended its fall even today in the morning trade. Spot discounts in Shanghai were heard at RMB 60 per tonne to RMB 50 per tonne against the December contract, compared to RMB 40 per tonne to RMB 30 per tonne in the previous day. Most transactions in Shanghai and Wuxi were at RMB 13,560 per tonne to RMB 13,570 per tonne and that in Hangzhou at RMB 13,590 per tonne to RMB 13,610 per tonne. The prices were down by some RMB 60 per tonne than the prior day. In Guangdong, on the other hand, transactions were mostly seen at RMB...
Century Aluminum has announced two new expansion programs at its Sebree smelter that will increase production of both value-added and secondary aluminium. The programs will improve smelter’s product mix by adding approximately 90,000 tonnes of additional billet production to the Sebree casthouse and increase the smelter’s overall production by adding 20,000 tonnes of additional secondary (scrap reprocessing) capacity. The programs are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2019. Michael A. Bless, President and Chief Executive Officer said: “These new expansion programs demonstrate our confidence in the future of the U.S. aluminium industry and the continued positive effects of the Trump administration’s Section 232 program.” “With the 150,000 MT restart of Century’s Hawesville...
A government decree showed on Wednesday, November 28, that the Russian government may buy up to 50,000 tonnes of aluminium for the state reserve as a move to support sanctioned Russian aluminium giant UC Rusal. The decree, dated November 26, allocated up to 10 billion roubles or US$ 149 million for the plan, which was the initiative of Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska, a government source told Reuters. However, the text in the decree did not specify the reason for the potential purchases nor gave a timeframe. At present, the purchases are considered as a one-off step, according to the government source’s statement to Reuters. Rusal and its parent company EN+ Group also declined to give out much detail. Russia’s Industry and Trade Ministry were neither very prompt in responding when requested...
The US dollar dipped from two-week highs after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell described US interest rates as "just below" the neutral rate. Base metals rallied across the board, LME aluminium nudged up. LME aluminium price dropped to another new low as it closed Wednesday’s trading at US$1912.50 per tonne. Shanghai Metals Market expects the contract to trade at US$1,920-1,945 per tonne. Continued pressure is seen at the 10-day moving average on LME aluminium. As on November 28, Wednesday, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stood at US$ 1911.50 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 1912.50 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 1923.50 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 1924 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$ 1993 per tonne, and Dec 19 offer price...
According to Shanghai Metals Market, primary aluminium inventories across eight major consumption areas in China, including SHFE warrants, have recorded a drop by some 38,000 tonnes from a week ago to come in at 1.386 million tonnes on Thursday, November 29. On last Thursday, November 22, the social inventories of primary aluminium were at 1.424 million tonnes; hence, today the inventories registered a 2.7 per cent week-over-week decline exceeding the 2 per cent drop in the previous week. The reason is the declined shipment due to recent supply cuts. It is estimated to take 13.8 days to deplete current social stocks of primary aluminium ingots in China, which is a relatively high level. The below chart shows the current status of primary aluminium inventories across China as of November...
