Aluminium Prices are Unlikely to Grow in May Amid Upcoming Wet Season in South-West China

On August 26, Lizhong Group released its 2026 semi-annual report. During the reporting period, the company achieved revenue of 18.822 billion yuan, up 30.32% YoY. Net profit attributable to shareholders of the publicly listed firm was 577 million yuan, up 43.81% YoY. Of this, Q2 net profit attributable to the parent company reached 378 million yuan, up 58.12% YoY and up 90.49% QoQ, setting a new record high for single-quarter profitability. During the reporting period, the company's three main businesses developed in coordination, with production, sales, and revenue scale all achieving growth across segments. The secondary cast aluminum alloy segment achieved revenue of 11.093 billion yuan, up 35.16% YoY; the aluminum alloy wheel segment achieved revenue of 6.236 billion yuan, up 25.49% YoY; and the aluminum-based functional master alloy segment achieved revenue of 1.492 billion yuan, up 17.87% YoY. The company fully leveraged its integrated industry chain advantages, continuously optimizing overall operational efficiency and ensuring the stable operation of its main businesses through multi-dimensional collaborative measures such as co-building and sharing R&D innovation platforms, coordinating concentrated procurement of raw materials, connecting upstream and downstream industry chain resources, and complementing the strengths of each business segment. The company's high-end transformation of its aluminum alloy wheel business has achieved notable results. Forged wheels, with their superior product performance and significant weight reduction effects, align with the lightweighting trends of high-end NEVs, luxury brand vehicles, and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, and industry market demand has continued to grow. The company currently has forging capacity of 500,000 units in China, and is simultaneously building forging production lines at its overseas sites in Mexico and Thailand, with long-term total forged aluminum alloy wheel capacity planned to reach 2 million units. Compared with conventional low-pressure cast aluminum alloy wheels, forged wheels command a higher selling price per unit and significantly leading gross margins. In H1 2026, the company's forged aluminum alloy wheel production and sales continued to grow, reaching 347,100 units, up 395% YoY, effectively enhancing the company's overall profitability.

On August 26, Innovation New Materials disclosed its semi-annual report. In H1 2026, the company achieved revenue of 43.543 billion yuan, up 11.25% YoY; net profit attributable to shareholders of the publicly listed firm was 396 million yuan, up 11.67% YoY.

Recently, the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology issued a public consultation on the "Several Policies for Promoting Structural Optimization and Upgrading of Advanced Materials Industry in Chongqing (2026-2030) (Draft for Comments)." It proposes that for integrated or purchased new capacity used to complete aluminum replacement projects, where energy efficiency reaches the benchmark level and environmental protection performance reaches Grade A, a one-time reward of 30 yuan per (mt/year) of capacity will be granted, capped at 10 million yuan. From 2026 to 2028, subsidies of 3 million yuan per unit will be granted for retiring converters below 100 mt and electric arc furnaces below 100 mt (50 mt for alloy steel), 2 million yuan per unit for retiring outdated and inefficient captive coal-fired generating units, and 2 million yuan for retiring independent carbon used in aluminum production projects below 150,000 mt/year.