
AL Circle Analysis: Import rise meets demand growth on aluminium extrusion chessboard
Aluminium’s downstream trade network is getting more fragmented as import dependence, changing end-use demand and trade-policy interventions reshape regional markets. From North America and Europe to Asia-Pacific, the aluminium industry is navigating a market where access to supply, competitive...
Germany’s aluminium scrap exports rebound 4.58% in H1 2026: Which countries are buying the most?
Germany’s aluminium scrap trade showed signs of recovery in the first half of 2026, with exports to the world reaching 616,000 tonnes, up 4.58 per cent from 589,000 tonnes in H1 2025. The increase was even more pronounced against the second half of 2025, with H1 2026 shipments rising 7.50 per cent...
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Deutsche bank finds global aluminium demand 'disappointing'
Global aluminum demand has been disappointing so far this year but current price levels offer good value, Deutsche Bank said Tuesday in its quarterly commodities comment. "Continued weakness in Europe has been exacerbated by disappointing demand from China and other emerging/developing markets....

Shares of indebted Bosnian alumina plant suspended
The Banja Luka Stock Exchange on Monday suspended trading in the heavily indebted alumina plant Birac ad Zvornik, which is subject to bankruptcy proceedings, for 11 days, it said on its website. The government of Bosnia's autonomous Serb Republic ordered the tax authority at the weekend to launch...

Bosnian Serb government orders bankruptcy at Birac alumina plant
Bosnia's Serb Republic government ordered the tax authority on Saturday to launch bankruptcy procedures at the region's indebted alumina plant, majority-owned by troubled Lithuanian lender Ukio Bankas . The decision follows a police investigation earlier this week into alleged tax evasion and...

Pressure mounts on Rio Tinto to conclude deal with Trimet
Things are hotting up in France over Rio Tinto’s plans to either sell it’s Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne smelter or sell it to German aluminium producer, Trimet. Since the socialists took power in France last year, the French Government’s Industrial Renewal Minister, Arnaud Montebourg has been pretty...

Downward price index trend due to sluggish demand of aluminium
The monthly Aluminium MMI clocked in at 93 in April, a drop of 1.1 percent from 94 in March. This index has been on an uneven decline since the beginning of 2013 – matching its all-time low, first reached in August 2012 – and this month’s fall comes primarily from LME and Indian aluminium prices....

UC RUSAL to switch from heavy oil to gas at Aughinish alumina refinery
UC RUSAL, the world's largest aluminium producer, announces the next step in Aughinish alumina refinery's modernisation programme, which will include the shift of steam production from heavy oil to gas as its main energy source. The change of oil-fired boilers to gas-powered steam generators will...

French minister warns Rio Tinto against plant closure
"Rio Tinto has a responsibility that negotiations are fulfilled as the French government will not accept the other solution, a closure, that Rio Tinto is still keeping on the table," the minister said after a visit to the plant. Rio Tinto Alcan, the aluminium division of the mining giant, is in...

Orbite begins shipping commercial samples of high-purity alumina
Orbite Aluminae Inc.is pleased to announce that the first commercial samples of high-purity alumina produced at its HPA plant in Cap-Chat, Quebec, and having a minimum purity of 4N (99.99%), began shipping this week to several customers in Europe, Asia and North America. Orbite has already received...

Toyota 86 Cup Edition, the Germany-only model, released
The Toyota 86 Cup Edition has been released to mark Toyota’s involvement in the VLN endurance racing championship series, hosted at Germany’s famed Nurburgring circuit. Exclusively built and sold in Germany, and limited to just 86 cars, the Toyota 86 Cup Edition (called the GT86 in Europe) sees...

Aluminum companies reject tax evasion claims
Samál, the Icelandic Association of Aluminum Producers, issued a statement today rejecting claims that they avoid, albeit through legal means, paying income tax in Iceland. In the statement, Samál iterated that the aluminum companies operate in compliance with the Icelandic laws and regulations and...

Temporary increase in aluminium prices on LME
Price of aluminum for three-month delivery on the London Metal Exchange, on Wednesday (20/3) at 15:20 pm, up 0.13% to U.S. $ 1,939.00 per ton, compared to the price the day before. However, during the week commencing aluminum prices are still falling around 1.37%. Within a week, the price of...

Huge international aluminum companies pay no tax in Iceland
Two large aluminium companies, Alcoa and Norðurál, that have been operating in Iceland for years, have paid close to no corporate tax (sometimes referred to as income tax) over the past years. Alcoa for example has not paid a cent (or Icelandic króna) in corporate tax since the company was founded...

SMM Morning Review: LME aluminum should fluctuate in the band of USD 1,900-1,945/mt on 22nd March
The preliminary March manufacturing PMI from China and the US rose appreciably, but this was offset by contraction in manufacturing activity in Germany and France and uncertain aid package in Cyprus. As a result, LME aluminum retreated from the 5-day moving average, with its low-end price sinking...

Midas bags $29.4 million Russian contract
A subsidiary of Midas Holdings has won a 22.7 million euro (US$29.35 million) contract to supply aluminium-alloy extrusion profiles to the Russian railway market, the group said on Tuesday. The deal was sealed between Jilin Midas Aluminium Industries and Ural Locomotives, a joint-venture company...

Norsk Hydro falls after downgrade on aluminum prices
Norsk Hydro ASA declined in Oslo as Nordea Bank AB cut its rating on Europe’s third-largest aluminum producer amid a subdued recovery in prices for the lightweight metal and as Vale SA prepares to sell its stake. Hydro fell as much as 1.8 percent and traded 1.3 percent lower at 25.21 kroner...

Steel industry gears up to meet aluminium's entry in automobiles
The auto industry is under pressure to lighten its vehicles to reduce emissions and boost fuel economy. That’s a potential boon for aluminum producers and a possible bust for the steel industry. According to an article in Automotive News, high-strength steels will “likely…dominate in Europe” while...

Aluminium Two Thousand Congress opens the door to aluminium biggies
The 8th edition of Aluminium Two Thousand Congress at Milano, Italy during 14-18 May, 2013 will offer unbelievable opportunities to the delegates. Opportunities THE TECHNICAL TOURS Friday, May 17, the most important Italian companies in the aluminium industry, will open their doors to present to...

Aluminum gain on stronger equities and demand signals
Aluminum rose in London, leading gains by industrial metals amid strengthening European equities and signs of demand. The Stoxx 600 Europe Index (SXXP) of shares reached an almost five-year high. It’s up from the close on Feb. 1, while the LME Index of the six main metals traded in London is down...
