Aluminum Explainer: Options as a risk management tool
An explainer on how aluminum options function as price insurance, outlining common strategies and practical use cases for producers and consumers.
Tag: Market
To hedge or not to hedge
As aluminum markets head into 2026, LME prices appear structurally supported while the Midwest premium looks increasingly risky and politically distorted, forcing buyers and sellers to hedge very differently.
Tomago smelter gets a lifeline
Australia is hardly alone in intervening in heavy industry.
Mexico's tariffs on China: Important move ahead of USMCA Talks
Mexico’s Congress authorized up to 50% tariffs on goods from countries with which it does not have a bilateral trading agreement. This is gives Mexico some cover over concerns it bowed to US pressure to block just Chinese goods flowing through Mexico to the US.
Misery loves company: The plight of low recycling in plastics
Despite competing fiercely for market share, aluminum and plastics share the same structural recycling failures rooted in incentives and policy resistance.
Focus on demand: Recreational vehicles as a bellwether for consumer spending
Although not large by overall industry metrics, the RV market is a barometer of consumer sentiment for discretional durable goods.
China exports surge with record annual trade surplus
When we last reported on Chinese trade, the numbers showed a strong performance for September. Two months later, we see more growth. China shrugged off disappointing October exports of $305.4 billion to record November exports of $330.3 billion, according to data released by China’s General Administration of Customs. That was a 5.9% rise over October […]
AMU Survey: UBC stability expected despite firmer Class scrap and mixed premium signals
Industry respondents overwhelmingly expect UBC prices to remain stable in the current month, even as Class scrap and Midwest premium expectations point in different directions.
IAI primary production ticked up in October
Production metrics can gauge whether there are more premium shocks in our future.
AMU Explainer: Understanding open interest as a guide to price movements on LME
This AMU Explainer breaks down how LME open interest works and how it can help you interpret shifts in market sentiment and price direction.