East China Trading Atmosphere Relatively Cold, Central China Market Recovered [SMM Spot Aluminum Midday Review]

Published: May 19, 2026 15:31

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SMM May 19 update:

During the morning session, the SHFE aluminum 2606 contract fluctuated upward, with the overall price center rising significantly from the previous trading day. Today, market buying sentiment declined due to the impact of rising aluminum prices, while selling sentiment increased. Mainstream spot quotes ranged from SMMA00 minus 10 yuan/mt to parity. Today, the east China market shipment sentiment index was 2.97, up 0.08 MoM; the purchasing sentiment index was 2.78, down 0.05 MoM.

Futures prices were in the doldrums over the past two days, and buying sentiment among downstream processing enterprises in the central China market rebounded slightly WoW. Today, aluminum prices recovered slightly, and suppliers showed stronger willingness to sell, with overall market transaction activity warming up. Insufficient invoice quotas limited suppliers' shipments, and the willingness to hold prices firm and hold back from selling was notable, resulting in higher transaction prices. Ultimately, the actual transaction price range in the central China market was between parity and a premium of 30 yuan to the central China price. Today, the central China market shipment sentiment index was 2.84, up 0.02 MoM; the purchasing sentiment index was 2.32, up 0.03 MoM.

Inventory side, aluminum ingot inventory in major consumption areas fell 7,000 mt WoW today, with all three regions showing destocking trends.

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM‘s internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

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