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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Rio Tinto, an Anglo-Australian multinational and one of the world's largest metals and mining corporations, is reportedly close to recommencing a sale process of its aluminium plant in Iceland, along with some aluminium assets. The aluminium plant in Iceland has been valued at around US$350 million, two sources familiar with the matter reported. The assets, on the other hand, include a 53 per cent stake in a Dutch anode facility and 50 per cent of the shares in a Swedish aluminium fluoride plant, which are ingredients in aluminium production, the sources added. The two sources even intimidated that French investment bank Natixis is helping Rio with the sale. However, Rio Tinto declined to comment on the news and Natixis was not immediately available to make any statement. Norwegian...
The euro and pound rose on Wednesday, underpinned by optimism for a Brexit deal, while the dollar lost ground against a basket of currencies even as US bond yields hovered at multi-year peaks. LME base metals, except for tin, fell across the board on Wednesday. LME aluminium fluctuated and posted a five-day losing streak on Wednesday with an extended MACD green line. A relatively firm dollar, 50% capacity resumption of capacity at Hydro's Alunorte alumina refinery and dips in alumina prices overseas accounted for the recent weakness in LME aluminium. Australian alumina FOB price dropped to US$ 550 per tonne today from US$ 600 per tonne on October 9. The aluminium contract is expected to trade at US$2,000-2,060 per tonne today. As on October 10, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$...
The Supreme Court has imposed restrictions on the import of petroleum coke or petcoke by domestic aluminium and calciner industries. A bench headed by Justice Madan B. Lokur has restricted import limit at 0.5 million tonnes and 1.4 million tonnes per year. Earlier, the apex court had eased its ban on use of petcoke in cement and limestone, calcium carbide and gasification industries. Advocate Aparajita Singh who appeared for the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) requested the apex court to allow petcoke import by the aluminium and calcier industries for use as feedstock. "The calciner industry should be allowed to import pet coke as its industry uses it for feedstock and not for fuel. For aluminium industry, EPCA recommended that the industry can be allowed to import calcined...
After it touched a seven-week high, the US dollar dipped on Tuesday when US bond yields declined. The dollar also fell as the British pound rose against it. LME base metals ended mixed overnight. LME aluminium fell to a week-low during yesterday’s trading closing at US$ 2031.50 per tonne. Then the contract recovered some losses overnight. The aluminium cash contract registered a three-day losing streak on Tuesday on the dollar's strength and on news of restarting of alumina operations at Alunorte. It is expected to trade at US$2,040-2,080 per tonne today. As on October 9, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2031 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2031.50 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 2040 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 2040.50 per tonne;...
Shanghai Metals Market found that spot aluminium discounts widened across all major Chinese markets on Tuesday, October 9, compared to the previous day. Though sellers continued to hold offers firm and traders became more willing to purchase for long-term contracts yet spot aluminium discounts did not lay behind from recording a widened range. The SHFE contract for October delivery traded range-bound in the morning. Most spot transactions in Shanghai were done at RMB 14460 per tonne to RMB 14470 per tonne, with discounts at RMB 40 to RMB 30 per tonne against the October contract. In the previous day, i.e. on Monday, October 8, the discounts were found at RMB 30 per tonne to RMB 20 per tonne. In Wuxi and Hangzhou, on the other hand, transactions were seen at RMB 14460 per tonne to RMB...
Executive board member of German aluminium producer Trimet Aluminium, Thomas Reuther said that he expects strong aluminium demand in 2019. However, forecast continues to remain difficult due to the global impact of U.S. import duties, according to him. He pointed towards higher alumina price as a concern for the aluminium industry. Trimet, according to him, has not imported aluminium scrap from the U.S. despite the expectations that U.S. will export more scrap to Europe to compensate loss of export to China. "I expect global demand for aluminium to increase in 2019," Reuther said in an interview during the LME week. "But the customs duties first imposed by the U.S. are having an impact on trade flows, so demand in regional markets is more difficult to forecast." He said the scrap supply...
Indian aluminium makers including Hindalco Industries and Vedanta Ltd. are reportedly boosting sales to Japan amid the United States’ lofty import tariffs and sanctions against Rusal. Usually, Japan, being a quality concerned consumer, never regarded the products from India a high enough quality. They rather preferred top-tiers producers like Rio Tinto, Alcoa, and South32 as well as United Company Rusal. But in the background of US sanctions and tariffs, Japan reportedly secured 59,545 tonnes of aluminium ingot in the eight months of 2018, double a year ago, while material from Russia fell 21 per cent to 175,694 tonnes, Japanese trade data showed. "Because of the sanctions, consumers would like to ensure some security of supply, so they'd like to prefer multiple suppliers instead of one...
Shanghai Metals Market research found stocks across local warehouses in south China grew yesterday, October 8, after a week-long National Day holiday, as spot aluminium sellers showed keen interest to offload cargoes. SMM data as of Monday showed the primary aluminium stocks in Nanhai, Guangdong increased by 36,000 tonnes or by 17.7 per cent from Thursday, September 27, marking the largest gain among the eight major consumption areas. In Guangdong, most of the spot transactions were heard at RMB 14,340 per tonne to RMB 14360 per tonne, with Guangdong-Shanghai spread at RMB 70 per tonne. Sellers in eastern markets, however, held their offers firm as limited cargoes arrived at the local warehouses during the break. Post-holiday restocking enthusiasm among downstream consumers was found mild...
The US dollar retained its recent gains overnight on upbeat domestic economic data. The euro fell to a seven-week low against the dollar on Monday as Italy. The Yuan weakened as Beijing's move to spur lending failed to ease concern about economic growth. LME aluminium traded under pressure on Monday on news that Norsk Hydro obtained a key permit to restart its Alunorte refinery at half of its capacity. A firm US dollar also kept LME aluminium from climbing, on its strong SHFE counterpart. The contract closed Monday’s trading at US$ 2073.50 per tonne. Shanghai Metals Market expects it to trade at US$2,050-2,090 per tonne today. As on October 8, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2073 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2073.50 per tonne; 3-months bid price...
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba) has announced production and sales result for the nine months of 2018. Its total sales volume reached 750,202 tonnes, up by 7 per cent Year-over-Year (YoY), compared to 700,629 tonnes in the same period previous year; while production volume increased by 8 per cent YoY to reach 762,952 tonnes during January- September period. Alba has reported a flat growth in its sales and production volume wherein total sales and production volume stood at 248,970 tonnes and 251,472 tonnes respectively, according to company press release. The company has closed the third quarter and the nine months of 2018 with value-added sales averaging 60 per cent and 59 per cent respectively. In the first half of 2018, total production was 511,480 tonnes in comparison to 453,395...
The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, says the Akufo-Addo –led administration is bent on moving away from exporting the country’s resources in their raw forms. Speaking ahead of the UK-Ghana Investment Summit scheduled in Accra from October 15-16, the Minister said, adding value to resources before export is the way forward and Ghana is looking to explore the many opportunities Brexit offers to export products to the UK. “We are looking to develop our aluminium industry and the statistics are quite stunning because bauxite in its raw form is about $40 a tonne, you move to alumina and it becomes $400 a tonne, you move to aluminium and it is about $2100 a tonne, you move to tertiary and it is about $6,000 a tonne. “So the new Ghana is adding value to our resources before exporting so we are...
LME aluminium lost all its previous gains and settled at US$2,105 per tonne last Friday night after Brazil’s environment ministry granted authorization to utilize press filter technology that could allow Hydro Alunorte refinery to restart the operation at 50 per cent of capacity. After reaching the highest on last Thursday, the aluminium cash contract closed at US$ 2140 per tonne on October 5, down from US$ 2243.5 per tonne on October 4. Shanghai Metals Market expects LME aluminium to face pressure from a strong US dollar on robust economic data. Its trading range is set at US$2,080-2,140 per tonne. As on October 5, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2139.50 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2140 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 2150 per tonne,...
After a week-long National Day holiday in China, Shanghai Metals Market research team presents an update on the primary aluminium inventory. According to the data shown, the inventories across eight major Chinese consumption areas have grown due to fewer-than-expected cargoes arrival at warehouses. Stocks, including SHFE warrants, have increased by some 14,000 tonnes from Thursday, September 27, to stand at 1.604 million tonnes, as of today, October 8, 2018. In Wuxi and Jiangsu, the inventory stood at 685,000 tonnes while that in Shanghai and Nanhai, Guangdong at 358,000 tonnes and 239,000 tonnes, respectively. For more details about the current status of primary aluminium inventories, refer to the chart below: According to SMM research, the A00 aluminium ingot price also came back with a...
LME aluminium started the week and the month of October with a gain. Benchmark aluminium price on London Metal Exchange gained significantly to close at US$ 2047.50 per tonne on Monday October 1. LME aluminium prices climbed more than 4 per cent and to their highest in nearly five weeks on Wednesday October 4 after the news broke that Norsk Hydro would halt production at its Alunorte alumina refinery in Brazil as the bauxite residue deposit area 1 (DRS1) is almost in its full capacity, due to the ban on using the press filter and the newly developed bauxite residue deposit area (DRS2). This generated fear of alumina supply disruption in a market that was already tight. The aluminium cash contract closed at US$ 2243.50 per tonne on October 4, the highest in the week. After reaching the...
Tomago Aluminium says the electricity grid is at “crisis point” after power shortages this week led to it shutting off its potlines for an hour at a time to keep the state’s lights on. Its power supplier, AGL, says Tomago voluntarily reduced its electricity load as part of its commercial supply contract but the smelter, which uses 12 per cent of the state’s power, says it had no choice in the circumstances. The power shortage arose after shutdowns of various units at the Bayswater, Liddell and Vales Point power stations, as well as restrictions on the transfer of electricity from Victoria, because of demand from South Australia. Tomago lost a third of its power on Tuesday night and Thursday night and the Australian Energy Market Operator – which oversees the National Electricity Market –...
News of full curtailment of production at Norsk Hydro’s Alunorte alumina refinery in Brazil spurred a 4.5% spike in the three-month aluminium price, pushing it to an intraday high of US$2,267 per tonne, its highest level since June. Aluminium prices rally in LME started consolidating at the close of trading on Thursday October 4 and the three-month aluminium price closed 1.6% lower driven by a strong US dollar index. The aluminium cash contract closed at US$ 2243.50 per tonne yesterday, up from US$2166.50 per tonne on October 3. As on October 4, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2243 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2243.50 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 2250 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 2251 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$...
South Africa's aluminium exports logged a growth over the last three years. South Africa’s exports of aluminium in 2017 grew 14 per cent from the previous year. South32’s Hillside aluminium smelter in Richards Bay, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, has been single-handedly producing the primary metal for domestic market as well as shipping ingots to the international customers. Hillside Aluminium smelter uses alumina imported from South32’s Worsley Alumina operation in Australia. According to recent estimates, in 2016, South Africa exported 511697 tonnes of aluminium in 2016, which increased to reach 583145 tonnes in 2017, an increase of 71448 tonnes from the previous year. In 2018, the country is estimated to export around 622244 tonnes of aluminium to the global market, up 7 per cent...
LME aluminium prices climbed 3 per cent and to their highest in nearly five weeks on Wednesday after the news broke that Norsk Hydro said it would halt production at its Alunorte alumina refinery in Brazil, generating fear of tighter alumina supply. Aluminum outperformed all other base metals while China market is off trading due to for a week-long National Day holiday. The contract closed trading at US$2166.50 per tonne on Wednesday October 3. Reaching an intraday high of US$2,181 per tonne, the three-month aluminium price is now trading at its highest level since June 2018. As on October 3, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2166 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2166.50 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 2175 per tonne, 3-months offer price is...
