1. LME price remains range-bound. Smelting cost support and demand sentiment weaken.
LME Cash aluminum prices closed the session at $… per mton, up 0.3% or $… per mton from yesterday but declining in weekly terms by 0.2% or $… per mton—posting a fourth-consecutive w/w decline. Aluminum prices…
2. China’s aluminum price ends the week at fresh two-month lows amid stimulus disappointment.
SHFE front-month prices fell to as low as… yuan per mton ($2,454 per mton, ex VAT), before closing today’s session down 0.6% at…
3. ALERT! – US PFA. CONTRACTION MODE: PFA demand falls as auto production rates decline.
Weakening regional auto production trend does not bode well for 2025 PFA market needs, while offshore PFA imports continue to decline.
4. ALERT! – US BILLET. DOMESTIC PREFERENCE: North American billet suppliers outperforming in 2025 annual contracts.
North American billet producers continue to benefit from US extruders’ increased preference for domestic units.
5. ALERT! – EUROPE D226. MUTED: Spot activity stops, participants focus on deliveries and 2025.
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6. LME far-end contangos the tightest in two years; Cash–3M contango remains supportive for cash-and-carry deals.
The Cash-3M contango closed the week narrowing to $… per mton (a 6.3% annualized yield) from yesterday’s $… per mton. The December–January contango narrowed to…