El inventario de aluminio en la LME cae un 0,72 % hasta 344.000 TM el 15 de mayo, con una disminución del 12,64 % en el último mes

Jamaica’s bauxite and alumina export earnings are expected to improve in 2026, even though the first quarter was weak. The government expects production to rise as repairs continue after Hurricane Melissa, and the aluminium industry is watching closely because bauxite is the raw material used to make alumina for aluminium smelting. According to the Jamaican Government's annual Form 18-K filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), export earnings from bauxite and alumina are projected to rise 24 per cent to USD 760 million in 2026 from USD 612.3 million in 2025. Even if achieved, earnings would remain below the USD 803.4 million recorded in 2024. The recovery is coming after a tough 2025, when Jamaica’s bauxite and alumina earnings fell 23.8 per cent, or USD 191.1 million, mainly because alumina prices were lower and exports weakened. Alumina earnings dropped to USD 546.3 million, while the average price fell to USD 385.50 per tonne. Exports also fell to around 1.42 million tonnes (a decline of 9 per cent).

Aluminium hydroxide, a key raw material used across industries ranging from water treatment and aluminium refining to defence manufacturing and liquefied natural gas (LNG) production, should remain exempt from US tariffs to safeguard domestic manufacturing, according to industry representatives. The US currently has only one aluminium hydroxide production plant and no domestic bauxite mining, making imported material essential to meet demand. Around 40 per cent of the aluminium hydroxide used in the country is supplied by Hydro's Alunorte refinery in Brazil, while the refinery itself sources approximately USD 300 million worth of LNG annually from Louisiana and Texas and imports around 600,000 metric tonnes of US-produced caustic soda for its refining operations. Industry groups argue that these trade links underline the integrated nature of the supply chain between the two countries.

Australasian Metals has returned encouraging results from bulk sampling at its May Queen South Bauxite Project in central Queensland, with composite samples confirming strong aluminium oxide grades ahead of the next phase of metallurgical testing.The company collected three bulk samples, each weighing more than 50 kilograms, from bauxite outcrops along a 20-metre strike. Each bulk sample consisted of 10 individual samples weighing between 5 kg and 6 kg. Analysis returned composite aluminium oxide grades of 39.5 per cent, 42.0 per cent and 43.8 per cent, while individual samples recorded grades of up to 58.7 per cent aluminium oxide. Australasian Metals said the latest results are consistent with bulk sampling undertaken at the project in 2015, providing additional confidence in the deposit's grade profile.