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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Aluminium prices moved down by 0.53 per cent to INR 140.80 per kg in futures trade today as speculators reduced exposure amid easing demand in the spot market. Besides, a weak trend overseas weighed on prices. At the Multi Commodity Exchange, aluminium for delivery in January edged down by 75 paise, or 0.53 per cent, to INR 140.80 per kg in a business turnover of 3,510 lots. Likewise, the metal for delivery in February was trading lower by a similar margin to INR 140.85 per kg in 1,877 lots. Analysts said offloading of positions by participants due to slackened demand from consuming industries in the physical market and weak trend overseas, led to a decline in aluminium prices at the futures trade. Meanwhile, aluminium for delivery in three-month dropped USD 10 to USD 2,215 per tonne on...
Aluminium prices on London Metal Exchanges were lower on Tuesday, January 30, after the base metal complex registered a price correction from its recent gains. LME aluminium came down from US$2,251.50 per tonne (closing price on January 29) to close at US$2,229 per tonne yesterday. Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) forecasts that LME aluminium will test support at US$2,200 per tonne level and trade within a narrow range of US$2,220-2,250 per tonne on Wednesday, January 31. As on January 30, LME official cash buyer aluminium price (Bid Price) stands at US$2,228 per tonne, cash seller & settlement aluminium price (Offer price) is US$2,229 per tonne, 3M Bid Price is US$2,225 per tonne, 3M Offer Price is US$2,226 per tonne, Dec1 Bid Price is US$2,272 per tonne, and Dec1 Offer Price stands at...
The difference between Japanese and South Korea spot aluminium premiums has reached $20.50/mt, the widest on record since S&P Global Platts launched its South Korean premium assessment in July 2015. On Wednesday, the Japanese spot import premium was assessed at $102-$104/mt plus London Metal Exchange cash, CIF Japan, while the South Korean spot premium was at $80-$85/mt CIF Busan. In recent history, the spread between the two premiums has typically averaged around $5/mt. The South Korean premium fell from $85-$90/mt CIF Busan a week ago due to increased exports of Chinese semi-finished products, such as coil and plates. This has compromised demand for P1020 aluminium ingot, sources said. Meanwhile, Japan's premium has stayed unmoved at $102-$104/mt plus LME cash CIF Japan this week....
SMM expects the fundamentals of the prebaked anode market to change in 2018, as it may turn to oversupply following a year of surging prices. The shift is being visible in January with a drop in prices and, extension of payment cycle and commissioning of new capacity. Prebaked anode prices in east China were down RMB 150 per tonne this month from levels seen in December, according to SMM data. Prices in February are also set to drop by over RMB 100 per tonne as supply of calcined coke became less tight. SMM has also observed that aluminium smelters are delaying their payment for prebaked anode for up to a month or more. This showed sellers’ willingness to increase delivery of prebaked anode. Another factor that is cutting down the need to procure such material from outside is the...
LME aluminium reversed its recent marginal losses and gained ground as global market sentiment improved ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s State of Union Address on Monday, January 29. The light metal contract rose from US$2,238 per tonne on Friday, January 26, to close at US$2,251.50 per tonne after night trading yesterday. However, pressure is building up at five-day, 10-day, and 20-day moving averages. So, Shanghai Metals Market thinks that LME aluminium may trade at US$2,210-2,260 per tonne on Tuesday, January 30. As on January 29, LME official cash buyer aluminium price (Bid Price) stands at US$2,251 per tonne, cash seller & settlement aluminium price (Offer price) is US$2,251.50 per tonne, 3M Bid Price is US$2,257 per tonne, 3M Offer Price is US$2,258 per tonne, Dec1 Bid Price...
Aluminium traded at India’s Multi Commodity Exchange gained by 1.34 per cent on Monday, January 29, as demand picked up in the spot market and speculators built up fresh positions amid positive cues in the international market. MCX aluminium reached INR 143.50 per kg in futures. Price of aluminium for delivery in January edged higher by INR 1.90, or 1.34 per cent, to INR 143.50 per kg, in a business turnover of 479 lots on MCX. The light metal for delivery in February gained by INR 1.80, or 1.27 per cent, to INR 143.50 per kg in 410 lots. Market watchers were of the opinion that due to pick up in demand from end user industries in the spot market participants created fresh positions. Rising strength in other base metal markets overseas also influenced aluminium price movements at futures...
Hydro starts aluminium production at its technology pilot in Karmøy that aims at verifying the credibility of the world's most climate-and energy efficient aluminium technology in an industrial scale. Hilde Merete Aasheim, Executive Vice President for Hydro's Primary Metal business area confirms the news in his statement: "We're now producing aluminium in the technology pilot, and we are very excited that we can now start to use this technology at an industrial scale." This Hydro-developed technology will produce aluminium with 15 per cent less energy with the lowest CO2 footprint in the world. The technology pilot in Karmøy is expected to be a world leader in low energy consumption and high productivity. "Through the technology pilot we have developed the world's best electrolysis...
After showing an upward movement last week due to restocking ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday in mid-February, average aluminium A00 ingot prices in China has closed the week on a lower level at RMB 14450 per tonne. This week has started with a moderate gain and the average A00 ingot prices today stand at RMB 14,485 per tonne. The prices are expected to move within a range of RMB 14,480-14,490. Spot discount will range within RMB 150-110 per tonne today. Among the domestic markets, A00 price in South China market remains the highest at RMB 14,535 per tonne. Average prices of aluminium alloys have registered no change in any of the markets today despite the fluctuation in A00 ingot price. The market remains passive and there are fewer activities at the end of the month. SHFE aluminium...
LME aluminium remained almost unchanged over the weekend as dollar showed signs of reversal from its current lows. The light metal contract rose marginally from US$2,237.5 per tonne on Thursday, January 25 to close at US$2,238 per tonne on Friday, January 26. With the US dollar still staying in the negative territory after US GDP data release, commodity market is expected to see extended volatility in the near term. Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) forecasts that LME aluminium will trade in the range of US$2,230-2,270 per tonne on Monday, January 29. The support from the five-day and 10-day moving averages is likely to remain weak. As on January 26, LME official cash buyer aluminium price (Bid Price) stands at US$2,237 per tonne, cash seller & settlement aluminium price (Offer price) is...
Chinese customs released the import and export data on refined copper, primary aluminium, and other base metals in December 2017. According to the report China imported 6,659 tonnes of primary aluminium in December 2017. This registered a 90.40% drop YoY. The amount is however more than 6,173 tonnes of import in November 2017. For the full year 2017, China exported 116,234 tonnes of primary aluminium, which is also 41.22% less than the amount in 2016. As for exports of the primary aluminium are concerned, China exported 248 tonnes of the metal in December 2017, about 1% decline from the amount in December 2016. The amount is however, more than 126 tonnes of aluminium exported in November 2017. For the full year 2017, China exported 14,315 tonnes of primary aluminium, a drop of 15.35% YoY....
According to news published by Reuters and reported by China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Henan province produced more aluminium than Shandong for the first time since 2011, becoming the country’s top aluminium producing region in 2017. The province produced 12.12 million tonnes of aluminium in 2017, according to NBS data. Shandong, home of China Hongqiao Group and Xinfa Group, churned out 10.67 million tonnes of aluminium last year. Paul Adkins, managing director of consultancy AZ China, said: “Henan province is the alma mater of the aluminium industry in China. The first smelter was up in Fushun [in China’s northeastern Liaoning province] but the aluminium industry grew over decades in Henan.” Last week data showed China’s primary aluminium production in December stood at 2.71...
A bullish LME aluminium outlook notwithstanding Indian primary aluminium producers are struggling to keep their profits intact. Reason- The spiralling cost of raw materials. From alumina to coal, coal tar pitch and caustic soda every key ingredient of aluminium making has become costlier and this has resulted in a total impact of US$744 per tonne (year-on-year) on overall aluminium production. The effects have been such that the gains from LME aluminium prices have got negated. Three of India’s top aluminium producers- Hindalco Industries, Vedanta, and Nalco are facing this challenge. “The LME price outlook for aluminium is bullish, but input costs are a pain for the producers,” noted Nalco CMD and Aluminium Association of India (AAI) President TK Chand. According to AAI data, alumina...
China’s social inventory of primary aluminium including SHFE warrants stood at 1.77 million tonnes on Thursday January 25, down 19,000 tonnes from a week ago, SMM data showed. This is due to restocking ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday in mid-February. This has moved the domestic market lifting the average A00 ingot prices to RMB 14,550 per tonne. This is a major gain in the second half of the month of January. The prices are expected to move within a range of RMB 14,530-14,570. Spot discount will range within RMB 140-100 per tonne today. Among the domestic markets, A00 price in South China market remains the highest at RMB 14,605 per tonne. Details of aluminium inventory in the major Chinese cities as on January 25 are as follows: Average prices of aluminium alloys have registered a...
The upward momentum in LME aluminium prices has slowed down. The light metal put up a poor performance yesterday in comparison with other base metals and closed marginally up at US$2,216 per tonne after testing support at US$2,250 per tonne on Wednesday, January 24. LME aluminium has fallen by 1.9 per cent since it reached its monthly highest at US$2,256 per tonne in January this year. Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) predicts that LME aluminium will trade at US$2,215-2,260 per tonne range on Thursday, January 25. SME and SHFE Aluminium Price Trend The benchmark aluminium price on Shanghai Metal Exchange has risen from US$2,257 per tonne on January 24 to US$2,302 per tonne on January 25. On Shanghai Futures Exchange, open interest on aluminium contracts went down yesterday to 759,552 lots-...
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), the home-base for Line 6 Expansion Project, announced the launch of Phase III of its company-wide, cost reduction programme Project Titan with the aim to reduce cash-cost by US$ 60 per metric tonne of aluminium and step-up its production capacity to 1,000,000 metric tonnes per annum by end of 2018. Project Titan Phase III, aims to optimize the Company’s operational costs, boost Value-Added Sales as well as increase its production, is an integral part of Alba’s strategy for value-creation and sustainable operations. Explaining further, Alba’s Chief Executive Officer Tim Murray said: “Preparation is key if we are to seize the right opportunities in the future. By stretching our limits via Phase III of Project Titan, our resilience will allow us to improve...
LME aluminium dropped for the second day in a row even after dollar index touched 3-year low on broad-based weakness. The light metal contract came down from US$2,235 per tonne on Monday, January 22, to close at US$2,213.50 per tonne on Tuesday, January 23. Shanghai Metals Market analysis suggests that LME aluminium will trade at US$2,205-2,245 range on Wednesday, January 24, with support at the moving averages. As on January 23, LME official cash buyer aluminium price (Bid Price) stands at US$2,213 per tonne, cash seller & settlement aluminium price (Offer price) is US$2,213.50 per tonne, 3M Bid Price is US$2,217 per tonne, 3M Offer Price is US$2,218 per tonne, Dec1 Bid Price is US$2,262 per tonne, and Dec1 Offer Price is US$2,267 per tonne. LME aluminium opening stock stands at 1086200...
UC RUSAL announces that it will invest around USD 250 million to implement Eco-Soderberg technology at the Company's smelters between 2018 and 2022, a press release from the company confirms. The transition involves a number of engineering activities, like the construction two-stage gas-cleaning plants, the implementation of an automated system to supply raw materials to reduction cells and automation systems, high-performance innovative system for gas removal from reduction cells, and the mechanisation of labour-intensive processes. The new system for gas removal from the reduction of cells increases the gas removal efficiency to 97.5% and reduces emissions by 3.5 times, thus bringing out the environmental efficiency of the Eco-Soderberg technology to pre-baked anode technologies. The...
Buoyed by events in China, the aluminium market is expected to see rapid growth in 2018, according to global energy, chemicals, renewables, metals and mining research and consulting group Wood Mackenzie (WoodMac). In its latest aluminium report, the company highlighted that China supply reforms, the possible capping of future growth in Chinese smelting capacity additions, trade cases against Chinese exports of semi-finished products, and the direction of premia would be stand-out factors that would shape the trajectory of prices and the global aluminium market balance. “Aluminium premia experienced a volatile 2017, led by large swings in US Midwest quotes. US tax cuts and the promise of a boost in infrastructure and defence spending kept premia at elevated levels. Moreover, a rising...
