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...
Grow with
AL Circle
Some Japanese aluminum buyers have agreed to pay some global producers a premium of $103 per tonne for shipments in January to March, reflecting higher spot premiums, two sources directly involved in the pricing talks said on Thursday. The new figure is higher than the $94-$95 per tonne premium in the current quarter, and the increase is the first in three quarters. Japan is Asia’s biggest importer of aluminum and the premiums for primary metal shipments it agrees to pay each quarter over the London Metal Exchange cash price set the benchmark for the region. One of the major buyers reached the deal with two producers while another buyer struck an agreement with a single seller, according to the sources. “We’ve done the deal at $103 a tonne with one of the sellers as we believed the figure...
The market's expectations of supply tightness of aluminium due to the capacity cut in China is slowly fading away as the winter production cuts have been less than expected and the Chinese aluminium output kept on increasing over the period. That led LME aluminium prices to correct over November coming down to a level of USD 2,030 to USD 2,060 per tonne currently. Despite the all-time-low LME inventories, the prices continue to move downward. LME prices have also been hit by lower aluminium prices in the domestic Chinese market due to increasing supply. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, Shanxi Province in Northwest China produced 820,000 tonnes of refined aluminium in January-October, up 19.6% year on year. The LME cash contract closed further down from US$2,052 per...
The month of November was marked by lower LME aluminium prices and on the whole aluminum prices decreased by 5.6% during this month. Aluminum prices rallied since August 2017 and broke the resistance levels. However, despite the price declines in November, the early days of December is showing some improvement in price. After edging higher on Monday, November 4 closing at US$2,052.50 per tonne, the light metal contract closed at US$2,052 per tonne yesterday November 5. Analysts revised up their aluminium price forecast in Citi Annual Commodities Market Outlook 2018. Aluminium prices are expected to stay high due to skyrocketing oil prices as well as other raw materials like alumina. Analysts expect LME aluminium prices to remain well above US$2,000 per tonne range in the medium term. As...
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), home-base of the Line 6 Expansion Project, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with General Electric (GE) to implement a fourth Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (GT) block using GE 9HA technology in the company’s Power Station (PS) 5. The fourth GT block will further increase the power efficiency and output of PS 5. This will strengthen Alba’s position as an environmentally responsible smelter. Alba’s CEO Tim Murray said: "We are proud that Alba is transforming power generation in the aluminium smelting industry by becoming the first smelter in the world to install the GE 9HA technology at PS 5. This cutting-edge technology will further align us with the goals of the Kingdom’s Economic Vision 2030.” The deal was signed by Alba's Chief Executive Officer,...
LME aluminium edged higher on Monday, November 4, after closing at US$2,046.50 per tonne on Friday, December 1. The light metal contract ended at US$2,052.50 per tonne yesterday. Analysts revised up their aluminium price forecast in Citi Annual Commodities Market Outlook 2018. They say LME aluminium prices will remain well above US$2,000 per tonne range in the medium term. Overall aluminium production cost will remain higher for longer supporting aluminium prices globally. As on December 4, LME official cash buyer aluminium price (Bid Price) stands at US$2,052 per tonne, cash seller & settlement aluminium price (Offer price) is US$2,052.50 per tonne, 3M Bid Price is US$2,070 per tonne, 3M Offer Price is US$2,070.50 per tonne, Dec1 Bid Price is US$2,118 per tonne, and Dec1 Offer Price is...
Russia’s En+ Group announced its financial and operational results for the three and nine months ended 30 September 2017. The group produced 2,762 thousand tonnes of aluminium in the first nine months of 2017. In 3Q 2017, aluminium production increased 1.2 per cent to 931 thousand tonnes, with Siberian smelters representing 94 per cent of total aluminium production. The Group’s net profit increased 43 per cent year-on-year to USD 350 million in Q32017. For the nine months of 2017, net profit increased 60 per cent to USD 898 million. In Q32017, revenue increased 17 per cent to USD 2,875 million. Revenue rose 21 per cent to USD 8,716 million in the first nine months of this year. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew 41 per cent to USD803...
Global leader in the mining and metals sector, Rio Tinto has appointed Simon Thomson as chairman. Thompson, who succeeds Jan du Plessis will assume office on March 5, 2018. Rio senior independent director Ann Godbehere welcomed Thompson saying “The Rio Tinto board would like to thank Jan for his significant contribution as chairman of Rio Tinto. He led the board during considerable transformation of the company. Source: Rio Tinto Thompson has over 20 years’ of experience working across the global mining and metals industry. He worked for the Anglo American group from 1995 to 2007, holding a number of senior positions. His experience as a non-executive director includes serving on the boards of AngloGold Ashanti, Rusal and Newmont Mining Corporation. He joined Rio Tinto board as a...
LME aluminium climbed higher on Friday, December 1, supported by the encouraging manufacturing data from most of Europe and Asia. The light metal which had closed at US$2,033 per tonne on Thursday, December 30, rose by about half a dollar to close at US$2,046.50 per tonne on Friday. It is unlikely that LME aluminium will be able to hold on to this gain. There are possibilities that aluminium price will again decline; and even if there is any rise, it will be limited within a narrow range. As on December 1, LME official cash buyer aluminium price (Bid Price) stands at US$2,046 per tonne, cash seller & settlement aluminium price (Offer price) is US$2,046.50 per tonne, 3M Bid Price is US$2,060 per tonne, 3M Offer Price is US$2,062 per tonne, Dec1 Bid Price is US$2,110 per tonne, and Dec1...
China’s winter production cuts to curb smog have sent commodity prices higher. That’s no solace for aluminium producers in India as fuel and raw material costs are rising faster than the prices of the base metal. Yet, Hindalco Ltd. is best placed among its peers to beat the winter chill, brokerage Axis Capital said. It’s insulated from the rising costs of alumina given that its plants are fully integrated and can source bauxite requirement internally, the brokerage said. The Aditya Birla Group company has also secured almost its entire coal requirement through captive mines and linkages, it said. Alumina prices rose 50 percent in the last one year compared to a 22 percent gain in aluminium on the London Metal Exchange, a Macquarie report said. China’s decision to shut illegal smelters on...
Alro S.A., the largest aluminium producer in Continental Europe (except Russia and Scandinavia), announced it recently signed three-year USD 167 million credit facility from eight banks. The transaction and the club of eight banks was led by RBI Group (Raiffeisen Bank International and Raiffeisen Bank Romania acting jointly) as the sole Coordinator. The club includes OTP Bank Romania, Unicredit Bank, Banca Comercială Intesa Sanpaolo Romania, Banca Transilvania, Banca de Export-Import a României (Eximbank) and Garanti Bank. “The deal extends with three years its existing USD 137 million revolving credit facility from December 2015 and adds a new USD 30 million letter of credit line,” according to company press release. "This revolving facility aims funding the working capital needs of the...
A global aluminium producer has offered Japanese buyers a premium of $110 per tonne for primary metal shipments during the January to March period, as much as 17 percent above the current quarter, three sources directly involved in pricing talks said on Friday. 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. For the October-December quarter, Japanese buyers agreed to pay a premium of $94-$95 per tonne, down as much as 21 percent from the prior quarter to reflect a slide in local spot premiums.
A host of unconducive macroeconomic factors is driving LME aluminium price below its support level. The dollar index at 93.17 is edging higher on some progress being made in US tax reform, the effect of production reduction in China is still not getting reflected in downstream purchase behaviour, and raw material prices are falling across the board. As a result, LME aluminium which started at US$2,188 per tonne at the beginning of November is falling rapidly unable to hold grounds. The light metal contract dropped from the previous day’s close of US$2,062 per tonne and ended at US$2,033 per tonne on November 30. As on November 30, LME official cash buyer aluminium price (Bid Price) stands at US$2,032.50 per tonne, cash seller & settlement aluminium price (Offer price) is US$2,033 per...
Hydro today announced two new low-carbon aluminium products, designed to help customers reach their sustainability goals and meet the demand from ever more climate-conscious consumers. The new products will be independently certified by DNV GL. The new products are: Hydro 4.0: hydropower-based aluminium with a maximum content of 4.0 kg CO2 per kg aluminium, and; Hydro 75R: aluminium with a guaranteed post-consumer recycled content of minimum 75 percent Climate strategy converted into products "We are proud of our industry-leading climate strategy that has resulted in producing aluminium with the lowest energy consumption and the lowest emissions in the world, and our aim to become carbon-neutral from a life-cycle perspective by 2020. As every part of our aluminum production is managed...
The rally in LME aluminium is not over yet, but the momentum has certainly vanished. The light metal contract which started November at US$2,188 per tonne has fallen by 5.7 per cent to stand at US$2,062 per tonne as on November 29. It seemed to have drawn little support from the encouraging manufacturing reports in China and Japan. Analysts opine that LME aluminium may fall further marking its biggest monthly loss since May 2016. As on November 29, LME official cash buyer aluminium price (Bid Price) stands at US$2,060 per tonne, cash seller & settlement aluminium price (Offer price) is US$2,062 per tonne, 3M Bid Price is US$2,075 per tonne, 3M Offer Price is US$2,075.50 per tonne, Dec1 Bid Price is US$2,123 per tonne, and Dec1 Offer Price is US$2,128 per tonne. LME aluminium Opening Stock...
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), home-base of the Line 6 Expansion Project, set the benchmark for sustainable power generation with the successful installation of the first H-class General Electric (GE) 9HA Gas Turbine (GT) at its Power Station (PS) 5. With this, Alba has become the first aluminium smelter in the world to use the largest and most efficient gas turbine produced by GE. A ceremony was held to celebrate this occasion today, 28 November 2017 under the Patronage of Alba’s Chairman of Board of Directors, Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa and was attended by Alba Board Directors -- Dr. Mohamed Kameshki and Mr. Yaser E. Humaidan from Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company and Ahmed Mohammad A. Al Jabr from Sabic Industrial Investments Co. Alba’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer...
LME aluminium retraced US$2,100 per tonne mark on Tuesday, November 28, as key raw material prices in China, one of the world’s major markets, dropped further. The light metal edged slightly higher to US$2,109.5 per tonne on Monday, November 27. Though the rest of the financial year outlook for the contract remains moderately positive, volatility is expected to continue in the short term. As on November 28, LME official cash buyer aluminium price (Bid Price) stands at US$2,099.50 per tonne, cash seller & settlement aluminium price (Offer price) is US$2,100 per tonne, 3M Bid Price is US$2,112.50 per tonne, 3M Offer Price is US$2,113.50 per tonne, Dec1 Bid Price is US$2,160 per tonne, and Dec1 Offer Price is US$2,165 per tonne. LME aluminium Opening Stock or the LME aluminium inventory...
Aluminium prices eased by 0.69 per cent to INR 135.90 per kg in futures market today as speculators trimmed positions, taking negative cues from the spot market on muted demand from consuming industries. At the Multi Commodity Exchange, aluminium for delivery in November fell by 95 paise, or 0.69 per cent, to INR 135.90 per kg in a business turnover of 2,335 lots. Similarly, the metal for delivery in December traded lower by a similar margin to INR 136.35 per kg in 1,161 lots. Analysts said cutting down of holdings by participants due to weak demand from consuming industries in the physical market mainly influenced aluminium prices at futures trade.
Australian miner outh32 announced on Monday that it will operate SA Energy Coal (SAEC) as a stand-alone business. The company will spend R4.3 billion from April 2018 in SAEC’s Klipspruit Life Extension project. Graham Kerr, CEO of South32, said, "Establishing SA Energy Coal as a stand-alone business will enable us to improve the operation’s competitiveness and ensure its sustainability. This process will also allow us to further simplify our organisation and unlock additional value for shareholders." “We will also seek to increase the local ownership of South Africa Energy Coal, consistent with our commitment to South Africa’s economic transformation, and may ultimately list the business on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.” South32 is a mining and metals company headquartered in Perth,...
