As billet upcharges mount, scrap spreads stay wide, and talk of an export ban rattles recyclers, the aluminum industry heads into 2026 facing some of the toughest cost and supply negotiations yet.
Broadly speaking, the OECD is more positive on growth than what one might have thought.
An in-depth look at how solar installations shape aluminum demand and U.S. market dynamics amid growing domestic capacity and the rising panel imports in the run-up to tariffs.
There are plenty of opportunities to make money in scrap
Upcoming USTR port fees targeting Chinese-built vessels are set to upend transpacific shipping costs, squeeze capacity, and ripple through U.S. supply chains as early as 2026.
Rising Midwest and European premiums are giving Canadian aluminum producers a rare boost, restoring pricing power just ahead of key 2026 negotiations.
Recent IEA data underscores an erratic electricity supply mix alongside sharply rising demand, with future prices signaling poor economics for operating an aluminum smelter and pointing instead to behind-the-meter generation backed by outside financing.
Volatile LME spreads may not directly dictate physical aluminum prices, but with tight inventories, rising Midwest premiums, and traders creating "artificial contangoes", financing costs are increasingly being pushed into the physical market.
The widening gap between scrap costs and value-added premiums is making secondary aluminum casthouses look far more attractive - time for a rethink.
U.S. aluminum buyers and sellers are bracing for a bruising 2026 contract season as tariffs, tight supply, and shifting scrap economics threaten to push Midwest premiums and upcharges to unprecedented levels.