Chinese bauxite spot prices increased again in May as the ongoing anti-pollution related production shutdowns caused severe shortages in the market. Refractory-grade bauxite spot prices jumped 18 May, as the ongoing massive production shut downs in China led trades to be concluded at higher values higher for the second time in May. The anti-pollution controls …

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Brown fused alumina (BFA) prices were unchanged over the fortnight, but market sources warned that new bauxite mining restrictions in China could impact BFA production in the near-term. BFA operations remained intermittent due to the ongoing environmental inspections. The new spate of environmental crackdowns on bauxite mining in China is set to reduce raw material …

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China-origin refractory-grade bauxite prices have increased for the second time this year as the government ramped up efforts to reduce pollution. Only a tiny minority of plants is still allowed to operate following the environmental inspections, and traders are struggling to find material to fulfil contracts. Near-complete shutdown of Chinese refractory-grade bauxite production has lifted …

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In 2016, the aluminium industry performed well and exceeded industry predictions. Even during Q4, the industry’s low season, the price of aluminium has remained strong. New transportation policies banning overloaded long-haul transport resulted in a low inventory in China’s physical market, as metal has been log-jammed at shipping points. This played a major role in …

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An unexpected decline in Germany’s powerhouse industrial sector dragged industrial output in the eurozone back into decline in September, but the fall was not as severe as economists had expected.   Industrial output excluding construction declined by 0.8 per cent over the month, but was 1.2 per cent higher than the same month a year …

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