China
LME aluminium price pulls back rapidly before the holiday, then recovers from lows: Why did it fall below USD 3,150 per tonne?
Since late September, LME aluminium prices ended their previous trend of fluctuating at highs and underwent a notable pullback around China’s National Day holiday. The LME spot aluminium settlement price fell from USD 3,248.5 per tonne on September 28 to USD 3,204 per tonne on September 30, with the decline accelerating further in October. It dropped USD 84 per tonne in a single day on October 1 to USD 3,120 per tonne, and fell further to USD 3,109.5 per tonne on October 2. As of October 5, the LME spot aluminium settlement price had declined to USD 3,107 per tonne, a cumulative drop of USD 141.5 per tonne from September 28, or about 4.36per cent. Compared with the previous staged high of around USD 3,350 per tonne, the cumulative pullback exceeded USD 240 per tonne, a decline of about...
Macro stagflation concerns combined with weak demand keep aluminium prices consolidating on a subdued note in the short term
SHFE aluminium was not open during the National Day holiday. On Oct 7, LME aluminium 3M opened at USD 3,140.5 per tonne, hit a high of USD 3,148 per tonne, a low of USD 3,101.5 per tonne, and closed at USD 3,125 per tonne, down USD 18.5 per tonne from the previous close, a decline of 0.59 per cent. Futures continued to consolidate on a weak note, with prices breaking below the 5/10/20/40/60-period moving averages. All moving averages exerted downward pressure, confirming a clear bearish trend. Trading volume during the session was 16,383 lots, with open interest at 567,000 lots, up 1,296 lots, driven mainly by bearish positioning. On the daily chart, the MACD death cross persisted, with DIFF below DEA and green bars maintained, indicating bearish momentum was still being released. US...
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LEARN MOREWho’s holding up Germany’s aluminium game? Meet EGA, Hydro and Constellium
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China’s aluminium scrap imports fall 3.2% in H1 2026 amid supply and pricing pressures
China’s aluminium scrap market lost some momentum in the first half of 2026, with imports falling from a year earlier as higher prices, tighter overseas availability and weaker demand weighed on buying activity. Despite the decline, imports remained above the level recorded two years earlier. China imported 981,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap from the World in H1 2026, down 3.2 per cent from 1 million tonnes in H1 2025. The latest volume was, however, 3.6 per cent higher than the 947,000 tonnes imported in H1 2024. The H1 2026 total comprised 526,000 tonnes in Q1 and 455,000 tonnes in Q2, compared with 507,000 tonnes and 506,000 tonnes, respectively, in H1 2025. Overseas supply becomes a key constraint The weaker import performance came as Chinese buyers faced a less favourable...
US alumina imports reach 712kt in H1 2026, up 2.7% despite Q2 decline
Alumina imports in the United States increased in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, although imports fell sharply in the second quarter. Total imports reached 712,000 tonnes in H1 2026, up 2.7 per cent from 693,000 tonnes in H1 2025. The H1 2024 total was 495,000 tonnes. Imports in Q1 2026 reached 446,000 tonnes, up 32 per cent from 337,000 tonnes in Q1 2025. However, imports dropped to 266,000 tonnes in Q2 (a 25 per cent decline) from 356,000 tonnes in the same quarter a year earlier. Brazil remains the largest supplier Brazil remained the largest exporter of alumina to the US during the period covered by the data. Its shipments reached 568,000 tonnes in H1 2026, around 5 per cent increase from 542,000 tonnes in H1 2025. In H1 2024, Brazil supplied 430,000...
Critical Metals gains ground as Greenland approves Tanbreez mining plan through 2050
Critical Metals Corp. (NASDAQ: CRML) gained ground on Monday after Greenland approved the Tanbreez rare-earth project’s mining and closure plans through 2050, removing a major regulatory hurdle for one of the largest heavy rare-earth deposits outside China. Signed by Greenland’s Minister and Member of the Parliament Múte B. Egede on September 29, 2026, the approvals cover operations through September 2050, providing a framework for roughly 24 years of permitted activity under the company’s current exploitation license. To learn about the market potential of aluminum dross, explore "ALuminium Dross Processing: Generation, Recovery & Strategic Roadmap" Critical Metals shares climbed up around 13% in morning trading before easing to a gain of about 4%, putting the stock on course to end a...
South Korea’s aluminium foil imports hit five-year high at 57kt in YTD July 2026 as China drives 96% of new volume
South Korea’s aluminium foil market has entered a stronger phase in 2026, with imports reaching their highest level in five years. But the trade data points to a more specific shift beneath the headline growth: most of the additional aluminium foil entering South Korea is coming from China. South Korea imported 57,261.18 tonnes of aluminium foil from the world in YTD July 2026, up 23.94 per cent from 46,201.68 tonnes in YTD July 2025. Imports stood at 50,840.22 tonnes in YTD 2022, 43,145.18 tonnes in YTD 2023 and 47,238.94 tonnes in YTD 2024, before slipping to 46,201.68 tonnes in 2025, as per ITA. The return to growth is clear, but the supplier data reveals where that recovery is coming from. China supplies 92% of South Korea’s aluminium foil imports China supplied 52,751.81 tonnes of...
Gallium, germanium in automotive electronics: Study maps Europe’s critical-mineral recycling edge
As electronics occupy a larger share of the backbone of automotive industry, Europe’s reliance on imported critical minerals is drawing greater attention. A recent bachelor’s thesis from Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg has explored the recycling potential of two strategic materials, viz., gallium and germanium, within automotive electronics, particularly in Electronic Control Units (ECUs), which control functions ranging from powertrain systems and safety technologies to battery management in electric vehicles. Although recycling rates for both metals remain negligible today, the study suggests that industrial waste streams, semiconductor scrap and future end-of-life electronics could become important secondary sources if recovery infrastructure develops in time. To learn...
Yantai Port's rail freight corridor crosses 10Mt as African bauxite heads to Shanxi
Yantai Port's growing role in China's bauxite and aluminium supply chain has come into focus after its Dezhou-Longkou-Yantai rail freight corridor surpassed 10 million tonnes of total cargo. The milestone was reached as 3,200 tonnes of African bauxite moved from the Shandong port to an aluminium processing plant in Shanxi province. The bauxite shipment departed Yantai Port on September 29, travelling along a railway network that stretches roughly 1,000 kilometres and connects the coastal port with inland industrial markets. The corridor now serves 25 destinations across five provinces and regions - Shandong, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia. Six destinations are located in Shandong, while 19 are in other provinces. The scale of the network has expanded alongside its cargo...
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