Canada and China have extended a bilateral trade arrangement that links Chinese market access for Canadian agricultural products with Canada's access for Chinese steel and aluminum. The decision provides greater certainty for exporters on both sides as Ottawa seeks to expand its trade relationships beyond the United States. The extension, announced on November 4, 2026, will keep the existing arrangement in place until the end of 2028. It comes amid renewed efforts by the two countries to strengthen economic ties and address outstanding trade issues. For the aluminum industry, the agreement offers a clearer timeline for market access, while its agricultural provisions provide Canadian producers with greater predictability in one of their key export markets. Canada-China trade agreement...
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...
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Rio Tinto has asked Swiss investment bank UBS to explore a possible public listing of its Pacific Aluminium smelting business on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX), two industry sources said on Friday. The mining group has tried to sell the division many times without success, including in 2017, when it added two alumina refineries in Australia to the portfolio to make it more appealing, the sources said. The addition of QAL and Yarwun alumina refineries, however, doubled the $1 billion price tag and interest waned, they added. “Rio Tinto wasn’t satisfied with the level of the offers, so they decided to appoint UBS to try and do an IPO,” one of the sources said. “There were three bidders left at the end of the process: U.S. producer Century Aluminium, private equity firm Apollo...
After China and Russia, UAE holds a significant position as an aluminium exporter to the US. Being the third largest exporter, the nation is now seeking an exemption from the new aluminium, steel tariffs imposed by the Trump government on imported aluminium and steel. Countries like Bahrain, New Zealand, and Japan have already been asking for an exemption and now UAE joins them. A senior government official reported on Tuesday that UAE is asking Washington for an exemption from the tariffs and believes that it should be granted sooner or later. Since the United States has exempted its neighbouring countries Canada and Mexico and ready to exclude some of its allies too from the imposition of the tariffs, which levy 10 per cent on aluminium and 25 per cent on steel, UAE is hoping high for...
China, being one of the most aspiring aluminium producers, targets new highs every year; while this year is no exception either. As reported by Platts, China’s Yunnan Aluminium has declared on Monday that it is aiming at producing 1.4 million tonnes of aluminium in the year 2018, up by 65.1 per cent as compared to the realized output in the prior year. This high target is particularly in reverence to the ramp-up of the newly commissioned expansion project. While the alumina and aluminium semi-producer secured a 3.4 per cent year-on-year hike in 2017, alumina output registered 847,800 tonnes in its annual report, filed to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange on Monday. It is believed that the company’s commencement of its trial production of 600,000 tonnes per year second phase alumina capacity...
Benchmark aluminium price on London Metal Exchange increased further to close at US$2073 per tonne on Tuesday, March 20, up from the previous day’s close at US$2070.5 per tonne. LME aluminium continued to consolidate and is expected to trade at US$2,070-2,095 per tonne today, according to SMM. The Federal Reserve’s decision on an interest rate hike will give more guidance to the market. As on March 20, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2072 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2073 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 2093 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 2093.50 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$ 2142 per tonne, and Dec 19 offer price is US$ 2147 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening stock has dropped to 1288675 tonnes. Live Warrants...
Japanese aluminium buyers have agreed to pay producers premiums for supplies of the metal during the second quarter that are 25 percent higher than the first quarter, reflecting surging spot premiums in the United States, five sources directly involved in the quarterly pricing talks said. The two sides agreed to a premium PREM-ALUM-JP of $129 per tonne for metal to be shipped during the April to June quarter, up from $103 in the first quarter. The premium is the highest in three years and marks the second consecutive quarterly rise. Japan is Asia’s biggest aluminium importer and the premiums for primary metal shipments it agrees to pay each quarter over the London Metal Exchange (LME) cash price set the benchmark for the region. The latest negotiations began last month between Japanese...
The imposition of 10 per cent tariff on import of aluminium into the USA would not have any major impact on the current dynamics of the global aluminium industry, according to rating agency Icra. This is primarily due to the fact that the global market is currently in a deficit, following key regulatory steps taken by the Chinese Government to curb production from its polluting and “illegal” aluminium smelters. Hence, the world, outside the USA, can absorb the aluminium metal, which is currently being exported from the countries that are going to be impacted by the tariff. The expectation, however, does not take into account the impact of retaliatory trade measure, if any that may be taken by affected countries against the USA. Says Jayanta Roy, senior vice president and group head,...
There is already a long queue of companies and associations in US, urging the government to withhold steel, aluminium tariff plans on China. In a very recent time, Forty-five US trade associations, representing some of the largest companies in the country, have also joined the queue and signed a petition to Trump administration to halt plans to levy tariffs on China. They even urge in the petition to President Trump to join hands with other nations and press Beijing to end restrictions on foreign firms. This petition is signed after a careful analysis that the imposition of steel, aluminium tariffs on China may particularly harm the US economy and consumers. Forty-five US trade associations have also warned the President in the letter about the adverse effect on financial markets, a price...
Benchmark aluminium price on London Metal Exchange increased further to close at US$2070.5 per tonne on Monday, March 19, up from the previous day’s close at US$2069 per tonne. According to SMM, there will be limited downward room for the US dollar if interest rates increase. This may give little support to LME aluminium to stand firmly at the $2,100 per tonne level. SMM expects the contract to trade at US$2,075-2,100 per tonne today. As on March 19, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2070 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2070.50 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 2090 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 2092 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$ 2138 per tonne, and Dec 19 offer price is US$ 2143 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening stock...
Iran produced over 309,007 tonnes of aluminium ingots in the first eleven months of the current Iranian year (March 20-Feb. 20), according to the data released by the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO). Iran has been following a downward pattern for aluminium export in last three years. It is estimated that the export of aluminium by Iran to decline in both value and volume in 2018.Top importers who have been buying aluminium from Iran include Turkey, China, South Korea, Netherlands and India (2017 data). As shown in the data, Iran exported an estimated 85185 tonnes of aluminium in 2017, down from 99013 tonnes in 2016. For 2018, the aluminium export by Iran is estimated to be about 77568 tonnes. The revenue from aluminium export was US$...
LME aluminium shows some positive gain after a drop last Friday. LME aluminium closed at US$2069 per tonne on Friday March 16, up from US$2062 per tonne on Thursday March 15. LME aluminium gradually fell with resistance at the $2,100 per tonne level, according to Shanghai Metals Market. SMM expects the contract to trade at US$2,075-2,095 per tonne. As on March 16, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2068 per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2069 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 2088 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 2088.50 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$ 2138 per tonne, and Dec 19 offer price is US$ 2143 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening stock has dropped to 1306150 tonnes. Live Warrants totalled at 1058650 tonnes, and Cancelled...
We have already celebrated aluminium’s performance as one of the best performing industrial metals of 2017 with significant gains in benchmark traded prices. The positive turnaround of 2017 has influenced the entire value chain along with its equipment and technology suppliers and allied industries and built a strong foundation for constructive growth in 2018. With this edition, we are analysing how the significant developments of 2017 are shaping up the industry value chain in 2018. AlCircle Aluminium Industry Outlook 2018 looks at the current market situation and aims to analyse the way aluminium value chain is expected to grow this year. We are touching upon the factors like the world aluminium capacity, demand & supply of the major raw materials, price movements; China’s capacity cut...
China's winter heating season ended on Thursday February 15 with less than expected results. China's aluminium production fell 1.8 per cent in January-February from a year earlier, as the country's pollution crackdown and supply-side reform kicked in. However, an estimated 4.4 million tonnes of new capacity are expected to be online in 2018. Stocks of aluminium have grown noticeably in last two months creating fears of subdued demand and a supply glut. Though downstream demands are expected to pick in April, the market is still sluggish with no sign of price improvement. Input costs have also dropped considerably in recent times. Amidst the tension of trade war and climbing capacity, domestic aluminium ingot prices are hovering at the lowest since 2016. Average A00 Aluminum Ingot prices...
Continuing with its downward pressure, London aluminium plummeted to its lowest since late December on Thursday on expectations of a supply gut as China's winter pollution controls expire, as the winter cuts did not have a substantial effect on China’s mounting inventory. Metal prices also came under pressure amid mounting investor concerns that growing trade tensions would hurt the equilibrium in the global economy. According to SMM, as exports from China increased and the US dollar strengthened, LME aluminium saw weaker performance than its SHFE counterpart. LME aluminium finally closed at US$2062 per tonne on Thursday March 15 and expected to trade at $2,075-2,100 per tonne today. As updated by Reuters, London Metal Exchange aluminium was trading flat at $2,089 a tonne by 0728 GMT,...
The winter heating season and capacity cut deadline ends today on Thursday March 15. Aluminium smelters in 28 northern Chinese cities had been told to reduce output by at least 30 percent from Nov. 15 to March 15, although the actual volume cut was below expectations, putting pressure on prices. Stocks of aluminium have grown noticeably so far in 2018, which is indicating subdued demand and already giving rise to concerns about excessive supply. Average A00 Aluminum Ingot prices are showing a temporary restraint at RMB 13,740 per tonne today. The prices are expected to range within RMB 13,720 to RMB 13,760 per tonne and spot discounts are expected to settle at RMB 70 to 30 per tonne or about RMB 50 from RMB 350 in February. The narrowing discount between cash SHFE and physical prices of...
After closing lower at US$ 2080 per tonne on Tuesday 13 March, LME aluminium showed some positive gain and crept up to US$2096 per tonne on Wednesday March 14. With the dropping of euro and the rebound of US dollar index to around 89.7 overnight, most base metals climbed up yesterday. As updated by Shanghai Metals Market, LME aluminium met resistance at the five-day moving average and support at $2,100 per tonne last night. SMM expects the contract to trade at US$2,080-2,105 per tonne today. As on March 14, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2095.50per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2096 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 2115 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 2117 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$ 2165 per tonne, and Dec 19 offer price...
Bahrain is hoping it will be granted an exemption from U.S. tariffs on foreign-made aluminium and steel. American Chamber of Commerce Bahrain President, Qays H. Zu'bi said Bahrain is a key strategic ally of the United States and will be given due consideration for an exemption from these measures. “Aluminium is Bahrain’s top export to the US, representing 61pc of all goods exported from Bahrain to the US in 2017,” said Qays Zu’bi. “This is significant to Bahrain’s economy, but is considered a very small percentage of the total aluminium imported by the US worldwide.” "We remain optimistic that Bahrain, being a key strategic ally of the US and a host to the US Fifth Fleet, as well as beneficiary of the US-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement will be given due consideration for an exemption on the...
China aluminium prices continue downward trends with temporary signs of restraint. As updated by Shanghai Metals Market, today’s average A00 ingot price stands at RMB 13,720 per tonne and is expected to trade in a range of RMB 13700 – 13740 per tonne with a discount of RMB 90-50 per tonne. This registers a moderate gain from yesterday’s closing. Prices will continue to face downward pressure in the short term unless there is support from downstream demand or inventories drop with more stocks moving to the market. Primary ingot prices registered slight gains ranging from RMB 5 to 45 per tonne across all domestic markets. Primary ingot prices remain the highest in South China market. Aluminium alloy prices also remain unchanged today after a period of steady fall. On the cost side alumina...
After a modest gain on Monday to US$ 2097 per tonne, LME aluminium resumed its downward trends and closed at US$ 2080 per tonne on Tuesday 13 March. As updated by Shanghai Metals Market, LME aluminium met resistance at the five-day moving average and support at $2,100 per tonne last night. SMM expects the contract to trade at US$2,095-2,115 per tonne today. As on March 13, LME aluminium cash (bid) price stands at US$ 2079.50per tonne, LME official settlement price stands at US$ 2080 per tonne; 3-months bid price stands at US$ 2100 per tonne, 3-months offer price is US$ 2101 per tonne; Dec 19 bid price stands at US$ 2155 per tonne, and Dec 19 offer price is US$ 2160 per tonne. The LME aluminium opening stock has dropped to 1301700 tonnes with the moving of stocks in the Asian warehouses...
