WEEKLY: Guinea shipments surge but freight costs keep China bauxite spot split, prices pinned in tight band
China's domestic ore prices held steady last week. In Shanxi, a limited volume of relatively lower-grade domestic ore was concluded under long-term contracts at approximately RMB 530 per tonne. In Henan, the expected increase in domestic ore output has yet to materialise, leaving the supply-demand...
September peak season destocking supports aluminium prices, macro risks still warrant vigilance
Futures: The most-traded SHFE aluminium contract opened at RMB 24,470 per tonne in the night session on September 8, reached a high of RMB 24,660 per tonne and a low of RMB 24,420 per tonne, and closed at RMB 24,645 per tonne, up RMB 185 per tonne or 0.76 per cent from the previous close. Futures...
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Chinalco invests over $145M to boost stake in Chalco
Aluminum Corporation of China Limited (Chalco) finalised a share purchase plan led by its controlling shareholder, Aluminum Corporation of China, along with parties acting in concert, with a total investment of about RMB 1.015 billion (USD 145 million). Chalco announced the plan in April 2025 to...
DAILY: Chinese spot alumina prices hold steady over Qingming festival break
On April 3, Mysteel assessed the national average spot price for metallurgical-grade alumina with a minimum purity of 98.6 per cent at RMB 2,783 per tonne (USD 404.2 per tonne), including 13 per cent VAT, unchanged for the third consecutive working day. For the global aluminium value-chain 2026...
China pushes stricter lithium battery recycling to support EV lifecycle management
China is taking further steps to bring order to lithium-ion battery recycling, with a new policy issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology together with the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives. Published on April 3 and reported by IT-Home, the guidance...
TECNO launches SPARK 50 series with aviation-grade aluminium build and high-capacity batteries
Image credit: TECNO/PR Newswire TECNO launched the SPARK 50 series with two new models, the SPARK 50 5G and SPARK 50, with aluminium design, AI features and large batteries for everyday performance and endurance. The SPARK 50 5G features a six-series aviation-grade aluminium build, which offers...
Rajnish Khale, IREL: India’s rare earth push facing midstream gap despite rising strategic demand
In this exclusive interview, Shri Rajnish A. Khale highlights that India holds a strong position in rare earth oxide production but lacks a well-developed midstream value chain. While China continues to dominate globally, India is gradually advancing through policy support and strategic...
Global aluminium plates, sheets and strips trade 2025: Policy, cost and geopolitics reshape export
Global exports of aluminium plates, sheets and strips between 2023 and 2025 have formed a chain that goes beyond routine market cycles. The export trend depicts the reshaping of the market by policy decisions, geopolitical tensions and evolving supply chains. Latest trade data accumulated from the...
The rise of global aluminium hubs outside China
Executive Summary: The global aluminium sector is feeling the heat of a supply crisis, as major aluminium producers face policy curbs, geopolitical crises, sanctions and tariff hurdles, and environmental setbacks. The war in Iran has further inflated the crisis with shipping disruptions and attacks...
Driven by several factors, aluminium fluoride prices surged significantly in April
In March, due to the impact of sufficient supply and weak cost support, aluminium fluoride prices remained under pressure and continued to decline. During the month, SMM's aluminium fluoride price closed at RMB 10,180-10,450 per tonne, while the cryolite market also showed overall weakness, with...
USCM and REalloys partner for domestic rare earth supply chain independence in the US
In order to solidify the domestic supply chain, US Critical Metals Corporation (USCM) has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with REalloys Incorporated. The move is aimed at advancing rare earth and critical mineral independence in the United States. The partnership brings...
EC launches expiry review of AD measures on Chinese aluminium extrusions
European Aluminium, an association representing the aluminium sector in Europe, submitted its review request in December last year, after the EC issued a notice in July 2025, announcing the upcoming expiry of AD duties ranging from 21.2 per cent to 32.1 per cent on Chinese aluminium extrusions....
Canada is not worried about slow trade talks: aluminium tariffs and China deal seen as no risk to USMCA
Trade talks between Canada and the United States are slow. Still, Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said this is not a concern ahead of the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) this summer, despite US tariffs on Canadian goods, including aluminium and Canada’s January...
Aluminium semis export profits continued to rise, recovering to pre-rebate-cancellation levels
I. Core Takeaways and Policy Review : In Q1 2026, China’s aluminium semis exports showed a clear pattern of product differentiation amid the combined impact of three factors: the long-term effects of the export tax rebate cancellation policy introduced in December 2024, diverging demand structures...
Fitch assigns ‘BBB+’ rating to Chalco HongKong, outlook stable
Fitch Ratings has assigned Chalco HongKong Limited a Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of ‘BBB+’, with a stable outlook. The agency has also assigned a ‘BBB+’ rating to the company’s long-term senior unsecured debt. Fitch rates ChalcoHK under its Parent and Subsidiary Linkage (PSL) Rating...
Rising use of synthetic calcium fluoride in aluminium production and industrial processes
Demand for synthetic calcium fluoride is increasing as industries need more high-purity materials. It is widely used as a substitute for natural fluorspar and plays an important role in aluminium production. The aluminium industry uses the most synthetic calcium fluoride. It is used as a flux to...
WEEKLY: China's alumina inventory build slows
Total alumina inventories across the country's 10 major ports, 44 alumina producers, 89 primary aluminium smelters, and rail yards or in transit tracked by Mysteel stood at 5.85 million tonnes as of March 26, up by a marginal 0.2 per cent from a week earlier, according to Mysteel's survey. For the...
EU duties on Chinese aluminium converter foil to expire in 2026
The EU-imposed definitive anti-dumping and countervailing duties ranging from 15.4 per cent to 28.5 per cent on products under CN code ex 7607 11 19 are expected to run until December 9, 2026. The EU duties on Chinese aluminium converter foil came into effect in December 2021, as an effort to...
NEA: Renewables lift China's installed power capacity 16 per cent Y-o-Y by end-Feb
Among all power sources, solar capacity recorded the fastest growth, surging 33.2 per cent on year to 1.23 billion kW, followed by wind power, which rose 22.8 per cent to 650.7 million kW. In comparison, thermal power capacity increased at a slower pace of 6.9 per cent, reaching 1.55 billion kW....
GACC: China Jan-Feb aluminium scrap imports rise 1.8% Y-o-Y
China's imports of aluminium scrap during January-February this year totalled 320,049 tonnes, higher by 1.8 per cent compared with the same period last year, according to the latest data released by the country's General Administration of Customs. Specifically, the import volume in January jumped...
