Contributor: Nicholas Bell

Nicholas Bell

Nicholas brings over half a decade of experience covering metals markets, pricing trends, and supply chain dynamics. Prior to joining AMU, he reported on aluminum, high-temperature scrap, and ferro-alloy markets at Argus Media, with additional coverage of minor metals and rare earths. His work has built deep expertise in North American metals pricing and trade flows. A native of Houston, Nicholas holds a bachelor’s degree in Media Production and an MBA with a concentration in Finance, both from the University of Houston.

Upcycling scrap: Sorting out separation

Sortation technology is often puzzle where the end goal determines the methods employed, making it hard to gauge what companies are capable of going beyond standard processing.

Cross-border castings: Hydro and Nemak rethink scrap to power low-carbon cars

Aluminum producer Norsk Hydro and automotive casting manufacturer Nemak agreement focuses on expanding the use of post-consumer scrap and shifting to lower-carbon energy sources.

Parts vs. pileup: Reading between the lines of LKQ's Q1 shifts

As pressures mount across the aluminum value chain, key signals buried in LKQ’s latest earnings both hint and obscure deeper shifts in how auto-related aluminum flows are being sourced, stockpiled, and sold.

Kaiser’s business units tell different stories in 1Q 2025

Kaiser Aluminum's first-quarter 2025 results reveal a company pulled in different directions, its' end sectors diverge in trajectory.

LME's Hong Kong expansion highlights market in transition

This is less about warehousing and more about relevance.

Court of International Trade sets limits on extrusion duty appeals

The ruling might not be the last word – but it’s a signal on where future cases my land.

Big headline, small impact: Aerospace demand through trade disruption

China’s move may matter politically, but from a raw materials standpoint, the bigger story is how little clarity there still is when it comes to what “aerospace demand” really means for aluminum.

Tariff talks define Alcoa's Q1

“It takes many years to build a new smelter and at least five to six smelters would be required to address the U.S. demand for primary aluminum” - Alcoa during Q1 2025 earnings call

Heavy week for a light metal

Russian-origin metal comprised around 88% of open tonnages available in the LME at the end of last month.

The Value Trap: USMCA Compliance Paradoxes

Maybe it’s a thought exercise for a strategic sourcing manager or maybe it could be a very real supply chain hurdle.