Tag: Midwest premium

LME and Midwest premiums are rising, and a conflict in Iran is just one of several challenges the market is facing.

There’s a lot of news to keep track of, so we’re lending a hand with highlights from the past month and what they mean for you.

Midwest aluminum premiums are converging with replacement costs as Gulf supply risks lift duty-paid import replacement near $1.05 per pound.

Markets have been taken aback by the intensity of the conflict and the Iranian retaliatory strikes on at least 14 different countries. Investors were also shaken by the severe disruptions to oil and gas flows coming out of the Persian Gulf.

The Oklahoma aluminum smelter project backed by Emirates Global Aluminium and Century Aluminum appears to be advancing toward a power deal, though elevated electricity costs and high Midwest premiums continue to complicate the economics.

Cheap aluminum scrap has not triggered widespread buying due to saturated demand, chemistry limits, and limited processing capacity.

February aluminum imports fell sharply despite strong Midwest premium incentives, leaving US inventories at roughly two weeks of demand and raising the risk of higher physical premiums amid tight supply and geopolitical uncertainty.

Global beverage can shipments grew by 3% for the full year versus the prior year. Of that, 5% growth was from the Americas.

A potential Strait of Hormuz disruption threatens Gulf aluminum exports at a time of tight US and European supply conditions.

Century Aluminum posted lower fourth-quarter shipments due to an Iceland outage, while outlining Mt. Holly restart progress, Oklahoma developments and a 2026 shipment reduction.