East China Gongyi Market Weakened, Premiums Under Pressure [SMM Spot Aluminum Midday Review]

Published: Jun 02, 2026 15:26 (GMT+8)

SMM June 2 update:

During the morning session, the SHFE aluminum 2606 contract fluctuated upward, with the overall price center rising compared to the previous trading day. Affected by higher aluminum prices, downstream purchase sentiment weakened significantly, and selling sentiment was notably higher than purchase sentiment today. Mainstream spot quotes in the market were at SMMA00 minus 10 yuan/mt to the average price. Today, the east China market shipment sentiment index was 3.01, up 0.07 MoM; the purchase sentiment index was 2.83, down 0.08 MoM.

Entering the June off-season, downstream processing enterprises in central China saw weak orders. Combined with rising aluminum prices, purchase willingness was low. However, suppliers tended to sell in large volumes when aluminum prices rebounded, with poor willingness to hold prices firm. Overall market transaction atmosphere remained sluggish, and quotes continued to decline. The actual transaction price range in the central China market ultimately settled at a discount of 190-210 yuan/mt against the SHFE aluminum 06 contract. Today, the central China market shipment sentiment index was 2.88, up 0.03 MoM; the purchase sentiment index was 2.18, down 0.01 MoM.

Inventory side, aluminum ingot inventory in major consumption areas rose 0.6 MoM today, with the inventory buildup mainly originating from Wuxi and Gongyi.

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.

For any inquiries or for more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn
For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn
Related News
METLEN Invests €25M in Greek Recycled Aluminum Plant, Boosting Scrap Processing and Integration
12 hours ago
METLEN Invests €25M in Greek Recycled Aluminum Plant, Boosting Scrap Processing and Integration
Read More
METLEN Invests €25M in Greek Recycled Aluminum Plant, Boosting Scrap Processing and Integration
METLEN Invests €25M in Greek Recycled Aluminum Plant, Boosting Scrap Processing and Integration
[SMM Aluminum Express News] METLEN Energy & Metals will invest nearly €25 million in its EP.AL.ME. recycled aluminum operation in Greece, installing highly automated sorting, processing and melting equipment. The upgrade will allow EP.AL.ME., Greece’s largest independent recycled aluminum producer, to process more complex scrap streams, particularly post-consumer scrap recovered from end-of-life products that has previously been difficult to incorporate efficiently. The investment will more closely integrate EP.AL.ME. with METLEN’s Aluminium of Greece primary aluminum plant, with combined production expected to exceed 250,000 tonnes once the project is fully developed. EP.AL.ME. will act as the collection, sorting and scrap pre-processing hub, while Aluminium of Greece will incorporate recycled metal into higher-value aluminum products. METLEN said the integration should also improve margins at both operations.
12 hours ago
LME Aluminum Inventory Declines 0.31% to 241,400 mt on September 23
13 hours ago
LME Aluminum Inventory Declines 0.31% to 241,400 mt on September 23
Read More
LME Aluminum Inventory Declines 0.31% to 241,400 mt on September 23
LME Aluminum Inventory Declines 0.31% to 241,400 mt on September 23
[SMM Aluminum Flash] On September 23, LME aluminum inventory stood at 241,400 mt, down 750 mt from the previous day, a decrease of 0.31%. Over the past week, LME aluminum inventory decreased by 2,225.00 mt, a decline of 0.91%. Over the past month, LME aluminum inventory decreased by 5,550.00 mt, a decline of 2.25%.
13 hours ago
Azerbaijan Plans New 200,000 t/y Aluminum Smelter, Attracts Foreign Investors
13 hours ago
Azerbaijan Plans New 200,000 t/y Aluminum Smelter, Attracts Foreign Investors
Read More
Azerbaijan Plans New 200,000 t/y Aluminum Smelter, Attracts Foreign Investors
Azerbaijan Plans New 200,000 t/y Aluminum Smelter, Attracts Foreign Investors
[SMM Aluminum Express News] Azerbaijan is exploring a separate new primary aluminum smelter with capacity of around 200,000 tonnes/year, Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov said at a September 22 meeting chaired by President Ilham Aliyev. The project has attracted interest from foreign investors and forms part of Azerbaijan’s longer-term ambition to develop into a regional processing hub, supported by competitive energy prices, transport links and access to raw materials from Central Asia and the South Caucasus. The proposed 200,000 t/y smelter is separate from Azeraluminium’s existing expansion in Ganja, where electrolysis capacity is planned to increase from around 50,000 t/y to 100,000 t/y by 2030. Azerbaijan will also assess whether the Zaylik alunite deposit can provide a domestic raw-material base for the aluminum value chain. The 2027-2030 mining and metallurgy programme requires an estimated AZN 5.3 billion (US$3.12 billion) of investment, around 80% of which is expected from non-budget sources.
13 hours ago
Register to Continue Reading
Gain access to the latest insights in metals and new energy
Already have an account?Sign in here