Constellium’s latest earnings report confirmed what most in the aluminum market already saw coming, 2024 was a rough one. Weaker demand, tighter scrap spreads, and a major operational hit from flooding at their Valais facility all dragged on performance. The numbers tell the story: Q4 revenue came in at $1.72 billion, down 1% YoY, with […]
The latest round of tariffs on aluminum and steel isn’t just about stopping direct imports, it’s about shutting down the backdoors that have let foreign metal, especially from China, slip into U.S. manufacturing through other countries. The new rules focus on where the metal was originally smelted and cast, not just where the final product […]
The newly announced amendments to Section 232 boost the ad valorem duty (a volume-based tariff) from 10 to 25% of the declared customs value for primary aluminum. This boost in the rate gives Alcoa and Century windfall revenue gains as the Midwest physical premium responds to this. If we measure the windfall from Inauguration Day […]
On February 11, 2025, President Trump slammed the door on aluminum imports with a sweeping 25% tariff, eliminating all previous country exemptions. No more breaks for Canada, Mexico, or the EU, if aluminum is coming into the U.S., it’s getting taxed. Period. This move is a game-changer for manufacturers, processors, and buyers who rely on […]
What happened this week: Why it matters: What to watch next: For now, MWP remains elevated, but the key question isn’t if a correction comes, it’s when.
(This conversation with ADI took place on February 6, 2025.) Aluminum is quietly undergoing a shake-up, and ADI is right at the center of it. Backed by Steel Dynamics (SDI), ADI is gearing up to make a serious impact, just like SDI did with steel. With new capacity coming online, shifting trade policies, and a […]
The latest turn on U.S. tariff policy has seen a universal, 25% tariff applied to all countries effective March 12, 2025. It applies to primary aluminum and its ‘derivatives’. We interpret that to apply to semi-fabricated and finished products under Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) Chapter 76. We also suspect that it will be extended to […]
Novelis just had its latest earnings call this Monday morning, February 10, 2025, and there’s a lot to unpack, some good, some challenging, and some that set the stage for where they believe the aluminum market is headed. Key numbers and performance Aluminum pricing and market conditions Novelis acknowledged that falling aluminum prices hurt them […]
In our Final Thoughts commentary last week, we discussed how used beverage container (UBC) price had become expensive. Conversations at the Platt’s conference centered around what would break the upward trend in prices. As I learned from my oldest mentor at Cargill (when I was a very green and very naïve grain trader), “the cure […]
This first week of February 2025 saw tariffs dominate the aluminum market conversation, with Trump imposing 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports, then delaying their implementation for 30 days after negotiations with both governments. China wasn’t so lucky, as the U.S. followed through with a 10% tariff on Chinese goods, prompting immediate retaliatory tariffs […]