Aluminum’s fundamentals remain dire, despite the upswing in Chinese Imports. Imports in the country are rising due to an arbitrage opportunity as Shanghai Futures Exchange aluminum is selling at a premium of $400-$500 per tonne on the London Metal Exchange.
Aluminium for delivery in three months on the London Metal Exchange fell to a low of $1,279 a tonne – the lowest level since November, 2001. Record high stocks were responsible for the overwhelming downward pressure. Aluminium LME warehouse inventories leapt by 13,125 tonnes to stand at 3.17 million tonnes, their highest ever.
Aluminum industry executives sent a warning to other market leaders that unless large aluminum producers make deeper output cuts, the entire industry will likely take many years to recover from the current slump. Just 10% of world aluminum output is slated to be taken offline, and unless this number is pushed higher by more output cuts long-lasting damage to the sector is possible.
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