The US September consumer confidence index plunged 6.7 points to 81.9, the lowest since 2014 and deteriorating across the board. The University of Michigan survey showed consumers' assessments of their current financial situation and that one year ahead both fell about 10 per cent, with high-price concerns continuing to brew. Inflation pressure showed no signs of easing. US Fed Governor Cook said AI demand growth, rising oil prices, and supply chain disruptions from Middle East conflicts would keep inflation under pressure, but gave no clear guidance on rate hikes. CME data showed the market-implied probability of a 25 bp rate hike in October had risen to 70.9 per cent, and the probability of a cumulative 50 bp hike by December reached 58.7 per cent. Tightening expectations strengthened...
The proposed Srikakulam aluminium smelter project in Andhra Pradesh is gaining momentum, with around 6,800 acres of saline land earmarked at Mulapeta and Pundi for the large-scale industrial development. The proposal could also bridge Odisha’s alumina industry with Andhra Pradesh’s coastal port infrastructure, forming a potential industrial link between the two states. Union Minister for Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu discussed the proposed smelter with Union Minister for Mines G Kishan Reddy in Delhi, highlighting the availability of around 6,800 acres of saline land in Srikakulam district. Out of this, 5,000 acres are located in Mulapeta and 1,800 acres in Pundi. Explore the production, demand and consumption forecasts of bauxite and alumina in our report: “ Global Bauxite &...
Grow with
AL Circle
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), a leading aluminium producer in the world, today, August 13, 2014, announced Gulf Air - the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain - as the official airline partner for Arabal 2014. The Arabal Conference is an event of international repute, which brings together key players from the aluminium industry across the world on a single platform. Alba will host Arabal 2014 under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa the Prime Minster of the Kingdom of Bahrain from November 25 to 27, 2014 at the Gulf Hotel, Bahrain under the theme - “GCC: An aluminium power house”. Commenting on the signing with Gulf Air, Alba’s Chief Operations Officer, Isa Al Ansari said: “We are excited to have Gulf Air as the official airline partner for Arabal 2014....
The global aluminum market will swing into a deficit this year for the first time since 2006 as cuts in output deepen and demand from automakers grow, according to trading house Sumitomo Corp. Global consumption will outpace supply by 61,000 metric tons in 2014, flipping from a surplus of 580,000 tons last year, said Shingi Yamagiwa, Sumitomo’s manager of light metals trading. The deficit will widen to 493,000 tons in 2015, he said. Sumitomo, which owns stakes in smelters from Malaysia and Australia to Brazil, joins Goldman Sachs Group Inc. in predicting demand will overtake supply this year. The world will face a 579,000 ton shortfall after seven years of oversupply and low prices resulted in the closing or curtailment of 50 smelters, Goldman Sachs said in a July 23 report. Citigroup...
National Aluminium Company reported an increase of 69.68 percent in it's net profit for the first quarter of current fiscal at INR 270.99 crore. The company had posted a net profit of INR 159.70 crore for the quarter ended June 30, 2013. According to the company, its total income in the quarter under review grew by 7.53 percent at INR1,870.40 crore from INR 1,739.26 crore for the quarter ended June 30, 2013.
Domestic coal shortages are prompting India’s National Aluminium Co (Nalco) to plan construction of a US$3bn smelter complex abroad, possibly in Oman or Iran, underscoring the task Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces to boost energy output. Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and UAE are other potential sites for the 500,000 metric tonnes smelter and a 1,000MW captive power plant, Nalco chairman Ansuman Das said in an interview. He didn’t give a timeline for the project by the state-run maker of a metal used in everything from beer cans to aircraft and cars. “We are facing a massive energy challenge in India,” Das said. “That’s the reason we are looking at these countries, which have abundant energy resources.” Using imports to make up for a lack of sufficient local coal output is too costly, Das...
Press Metal Bhd's shares rose 15 sen to RM6.25 as at 10.15 am following its bullish second quarter results posted Tuesday. The aluminium products producer's second quarter pre-tax profit for the period ended June 30, 2014 more than tripled to RM83.58 million from the RM26.85 million registered in the same period last year. Revenue jumped to RM1 billion from RM795.34 million. RHB Research Institute said the better results were due to the optimum production at Press Metal's smelting plants and higher aluminium prices. "We continue to like the company as it is a world-class low-cost aluminium smelter that could leverage on the bottoming out of aluminum prices," it said in a research note Wednesday. RHB Research has placed a "BUY" recommendation on Press Metal with a higher fair value of...
The present bullish trend in aluminium and a tight supply situation is indicating towards a positive outlook for aluminium and a turning point after a long time. The metal has been trading at a seventeen-month high around $2,000 per ton in the current weeks and achieved a 20% rise in July since $1,677 in February 2014. According to Gaurav Sodhi, resources analyst at Intelligent Investor (as told to CNBC), "We`re probably now at a point where the aluminum market may be turning and that has everything to do with supply shutting down in China and as supply-demand re-balances across the entire industry." "Over the last five or eight years, China has massively increased its supply of aluminum and that`s depressed prices across the sector. But that's changing a little a now. As China focuses on...
State-run National Aluminium Company (Nalco), which will declare its first quarter (April-June) earnings on Wednesday, is expected to show a 14 percent growth in profit after tax at INR 182 crore compared to INR 159.7 crore in corresponding quarter of last fiscal on account of company's strategy to minimise expensive coal imports, according to CNBC-TV18 poll estimates. Analysts feel operational performance of the company may not entirely reflect in profit because of effective tax rate in Q1FY14 (which was only 23 percent) and other income (that may be lower during the quarter). Analysts feel operational performance of the company may not entirely reflect in profit because of effective tax rate in Q1FY14 (which was only 23 percent) and other income (that may be lower during the quarter)....
Activity in the aluminum market is similar to nearly a month ago: prices and premiums rallied, the contango narrowed, and China looks more oversupplied with ingot. The LME cash price closed last week at $2,017/mt. It’s up over 20% from in early February which was a four-and-a-half-year low. Meanwhile, premiums worldwide pressed higher. The U.S. midwest premium ticked up to $446/mt (20.25¢/lb) late last week. It is up an even 2¢ from its low point in early spring and just shy of its all-time high reached in January. Premiums in other regions around the world are at record levels. The Aluminum Association, in cooperation with the Aluminum Association of Canada, reported primary aluminum production in North America (U.S. and Canada) was at an annual rate of 4,519,242 tonnes during July 2014,...
Noranda Aluminum Holding Corporation today reported results for second quarter 2014. "Our second quarter 2014 results represent a sequential improvement in our operations," said Layle K. (Kip) Smith, Noranda's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We improved the operating reliability of our business, focused on preserving liquidity and continued to make accretive investments in growth and productivity." Sales for second quarter 2014 were $345.9 million, compared to $311.6 million in first quarter 2014 and $352.0 million in second quarter 2013. • Sequentially (comparing second quarter 2014 to first quarter 2014), sales increased $34.3 million, or 11%. Approximately $24.2 million of this revenue improvement was due to seasonally higher external shipments of primary and flat-rolled...
The Middle East aluminium industry will come under the global spotlight with the fourth edition of the ALUMINIUM MIDDLE EAST exhibition, which will be held from 14-16 April, 2015 at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC). Expected to attract over 200 exhibitors from 25 countries, the event will bring together top regional and international producers, suppliers and investors. Held under the theme of "Forging Connections... Building Possibilities", the exhibition will help the aluminium industry reach a new level of extraordinary growth and cement its position as a powerhouse of the world aluminium industry. The biggest exhibition of its kind in the region, ALUMINIUM MIDDLE EAST is the ideal platform for the industry, bringing together industry stalwarts, producers,...
Aluminum neared an 18-month high on Monday aided by relatively low inflation data in China. The metal closed at US$2,032/t in London, up US$14.50 from the previous day and its highest since February 2013 after official figures showed China's annual inflation rate was 2.3% in July. "This gives the government and central bank scope to undertake even more substantial economic stimulus measures and thus to achieve this year's 7.5% economic growth target," Commerzbank said in a note. China is the world's biggest aluminum consumer, accounting for 23.2Mt of 50.2Mt used globally in 2013, according to the European Aluminium Association. But higher Chinese aluminum exports could hit prices, Commerzbank said, after the country shipped 380,000t unwrought aluminum and products of the metal in July, up...
The Middle East aluminium industry will come under the global spotlight with the fourth edition of the ALUMINIUM MIDDLE EAST exhibition, which will be held from 14-16 April, 2015 at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC). Expected to attract over 200 exhibitors from 25 countries, the event will bring together top regional and international producers, suppliers and investors. Held under the theme of “Forging Connections… Building Possibilities”, the exhibition will help the aluminium industry reach a new level of extraordinary growth and cement its position as a powerhouse of the world aluminium industry. The biggest exhibition of its kind in the region, ALUMINIUM MIDDLE EAST is the ideal platform for the industry, bringing together industry stalwarts, producers,...
Rusal, the world's largest aluminium producer, is considering selling about $1 billion worth of non-core assets, including its foil business in Russia, BCS financial group analysts said. Other assets that could be sold include stakes in the Alscon aluminium smelter in Nigeria and the Bogatyr coal company in Kazakhstan, the analysts said in a research note to clients after meeting Rusal's management last week. Rusal has been struggling to manage $10.3 billion of net debt due to a slump in aluminium prices amid a supply glut stoked by huge production growth in China. The Russian firm recently finalised a refinancing deal with creditors, buying time to turn itself around. The company is considering several options related to its non-core assets, but no decisions have been taken yet, Rusal...
Aluminium Bahrain B.S.C. (Alba), a leading aluminium producer in the world, announced today that it has been named a winner in the Environmental Best Practice category of the prestigious International Green Apple Awards 2014. This win brings international recognition to Alba’s commitment towards creating and maintaining a sustainable environment, thus fostering a healthy work environment for its employees. Hailed as one of the world’s foremost environment award campaigns, the Green Apple Environment Awards was established in 1994 and recognises, rewards and promotes environmental best practice around the world. Alba will be presented with its trophy and certificate at a glittering presentation ceremony in The Houses of Parliament, United Kingdom, on November 10. Commenting on this...
Noranda Aluminum Holding Corp.is scheduled to release its Q214 earnings data on Monday, August 11th. Analysts expect Noranda Aluminum Holding Corp. to post earnings of ($0.08) per share and revenue of $341.57 million for the quarter. Persons interested in listening to the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link. Noranda Aluminum Holding Corp. opened at 4.25 on Friday. Noranda Aluminum Holding Corp. has a 52 week low of $2.21 and a 52 week high of $5.08. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $4.06 and a 200-day moving average of $3.82. The company’s market cap is $291.4 million. On a related note, analysts at Citigroup Inc. reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Noranda Aluminum Holding Corp. in a research note on Monday, July 14th. They now have a $4.50 price...
Aluminum shipments from China, the world’s largest producer and user, rose to the highest level in three years as higher prices overseas encouraged exports of the metal used in everything from aircrafts to window frames. China shipped 380,000 metric tons of unwrought aluminum and aluminum products in July, according to data released by the country’s General Administration of Customs today. That was the highest since 390,000 tons in July 2011 and up 23 percent from a year earlier, customs data showed. The premium added to the LME price for immediate delivery at Rotterdam warehouses is at a record $380 a ton, compared with about $200 a ton a year ago, according to Metal Bulletin data. The surcharge doesn’t include European Union tariffs. The global aluminum market will move into a deficit...
UC Rusal's key smelters increased aluminum shipments by rail 19.7% year-on-year in January-July to 1.627 million tonnes, Russian Railways (RZD) (MOEX: RZHD) said. Export shipments rose 12.1% to 1.439 million tonnes but domestic shipments were up nearly 2.5-fold to 188,000 tonnes. RZD's figures differ from Rusal's own, which are usually published later because, the aluminum company says, RZD reports aluminum shipped in containers as container cargo, without a breakdown for the type of cargo. Aluminum shipments by rail from Rusal smelters in Jan-July 2014 ('000 tonnes): Domestic shipments Export Total Smelters 7M 2013 7M 2014 Change 7M 2013 7M 2014 Change 7M 2013 7M 2014 Change Bratsk 5,4 30,7 +5.6-fold 479,1 521,1 8,8% 484,4 551,8 13,9% Krasnoyarsk 23,6 74,9 +3.2-fold 333,9 396,6 18,8%...
Chinese aluminium producer Henan Zhongfu Industrial Co. returned to profitability by registering a 3.05% year-on-year growth in net profit during the first six months, thanks to improving aluminum demand and upbeat macro news, according to the company’s interim report. Zhongfu Industrial created 142.34 million yuan ($23.08 million) in net profit in the first of the year. Aluminum consumption slipped at the beginning of the year as production at downstream fabricators slowed, while commissioning of new capacities left a glut in aluminum market. Later, however, a pick-up in automobile and air conditioner sectors allowed operating rates at aluminum fabricators to increase, boosting aluminum consumption. That, combined with upbeat data from major economies and Indonesia’s ban on unprocessed...
