Fourth quarter negotiations for aluminium into Main Japanese Ports (MJP) between producers and market participants have been extended for another week, with negotiations now expected to conclude on Friday September 17.

Base metals prices were higher on both the LME and the SHFE this morning, Friday September 10, with the broader markets also up. Additionally, metals that were previously looking vulnerable now look less vulnerable, suggesting traders are still comfortable being exposed to the metals.

Steelmakers in the United States and the United Steelworkers (USW) union warned that a potential US accord with the European Union to end the dispute resulting from the former President Donald Trump administration’s Section 232 steel and aluminium tariffs could boost imports from Europe and hurt the domestic industry.

A correction has been issued for this article. The update can be found here.

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange were mixed on the morning of Friday September 3, but overall the picture is one of consolidation ahead of today's employment report from the United States.

Bauxite refining and alumina production will resume at New Day Aluminum's facility in Gramercy, Louisiana, in the United States, after operations were halted due to Hurricane Ida, major shareholder Concord Resources said on Thursday September 2.

Will US automakers pay the price for green steel?

One western aluminium producer has extended an offer for fourth-quarter delivery aluminium to Main Japanese ports (MJP) at a premium of $250 per tonne cif, market participants told Fastmarkets on Friday August 27.

China's largest privately owned copper smelter, Dongying Fangyuan, has filed for bankruptcy, kicking off a debt-restructuring process, multiple sources claimed to Fastmarkets.

Many Chinese alumina buyers are currently steering clear of purchasing seaborne alumina due to persistent congestion at several Chinese ports, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday August 19.