Feb aluminium foil exports grow 0.7% YoY

The average weighted operating rate of Chinese aluminium foil producers was 87.08% in May, down 1.21 percentage points month on month, but up 3.22 percentage points year on year.

Operating rates across major aluminium processors rose slightly last week as they had to accept high aluminium prices to deliver orders. End-users find it difficult to accept current high aluminium prices. As some end-users adopt quarterly or semi-annual pricing, high aluminium prices will not pass through to end-users until they complete Q2 pricing.

SMM has surveyed 41 aluminium processing enterprises across 12 provinces. Operating rates across major aluminium processors increased 19 percentage points from a week ago to 60.1% last week.

On a monthly basis, however, aluminium foil exports edged up 1.87% last month

Compared with Aug, however, imports of aluminium scrap were 18.7% lower in Sep

The monthly decline grew from a 2.39% drop in Jul, to 13.32% in Aug

Falling prices of London tin and ore resource shortage in China drove more overseas miners to tap Chinese market

On a yearly basis, exports stood 0.5% lower in Jul

However, H1 exports hit a record high of 670,300 mt, up 8% from Jan-Jun of 2018

Ferronickel imported from Indonesia came in at 79,400 mt in Jun, down 5.29%, or 4,400 mt from May