Purchase Willingness Recovers, Major Players Aggressively Raise Prices [SMM South China Spot Aluminum Daily Review]

Published: Aug 18, 2026 15:48

Save

SMM August 18 news:

Futures fell today, while South China’s spot market was steady with improvement. With destocking expectations still in place, absolute prices weakening in tandem, and the spot-futures price spread not yet climbing to high levels, multiple positive factors resonated, causing most sellers to turn optimistic about the outlook. Holding back from selling and holding prices firm became the mainstream choice, with mainstream quotations holding at a premium of 0 to +10 yuan/mt and liquidity noticeably tight. Demand side, downstream buyers steadily replenished at higher volumes on the low prices, with purchase willingness recovering; traders also seized the window to actively enter the market to absorb non-premium ticket sources to lock in suitable liquidity. Additionally, large players strongly pushed up prices to buy and make markets, triggering a concentrated burst of demand in the intermediate segment. Under a pattern of weak supply and strong demand, overall trading was commendable. Spot transaction prices were concentrated at a premium of 80 to 120 yuan/mt over the SHFE aluminum 2609 contract.

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

9 hours ago

SHFE Aluminum Futures Warrants Down 2,393 mt, Decline by 22.33% Over a Month

[SMM Aluminum Flash] On August 19, SHFE aluminum futures warrants stood at 290,536 mt, down 2,393 mt from the previous trading day; over the past week, SHFE aluminum futures warrants decreased by 12,632 mt, a decline of 4.17%; over the past month, SHFE aluminum futures warrants decreased by 83,513 mt, a decline of 22.33%.

9 hours ago

LME Aluminum Inventory Remains Unchanged at 246,900 mt, Down 11.74% Over the Past Month

[SMM Aluminum Flash] On August 19, LME aluminum inventory stood at 246,900 mt, unchanged from the previous day; over the past week, LME aluminum inventory decreased by 4,775.00 mt, a decline of 1.90%; over the past month, LME aluminum inventory decreased by 32,900 mt, a decline of 11.74%.

9 hours ago

Concentrated east China arrivals, slow rebound in SHFE aluminum spot premiums [SMM Aluminum Spot Midday Review]

9 hours ago