Aluminum Prices Rise Amid Sluggish Downstream Demand and Inventory Decline

On May 21, SMM A00 aluminum was reported at 20,310 yuan/mt, up 100 yuan/mt from the previous trading day, with a premium of +70 over the June contract, unchanged from the previous trading day. On May 21, SMM A00 aluminum (Foshan) was reported at 20,210 yuan/mt, up 110 yuan/mt, with a discount of 30 yuan/mt against the current month, narrowing by 5 yuan/mt (unit: yuan/mt).

According to SMM statistics, the inventory of aluminum billets in major domestic consumption areas was 131,600 mt on May 19, down 6,600 mt from the previous Thursday. With aluminum prices rising today, early morning quotes in the aluminum billet market on Wednesday were slightly lowered. Downstream demand was sluggish due to concerns over high prices, and suppliers further reduced their quotes during the trading session in an attempt to liquidate their holdings. Unfortunately, trading remained lackluster. Today, the aluminum billet market in Foshan was reported at 280/330 yuan/mt, down 20 yuan/mt; the processing fees in the Wuxi market were reported at 300/350 yuan/mt, down 10/30 yuan/mt; and the processing fees in the Nanchang region were reported at 270/320 yuan/mt, unchanged (unit: yuan/mt).