Smelter closures here, new potlines there, and hovering over it all, the global trade dispute

摘要

The aluminium price (LME cash), the highest this year at USD1,923/t in mid-March, fell by 10% within three months to USD1,720/t and has since only recovered slightly. In mid- July the LME price was again approximately the same as at the beginning of the year: all n all, not really a comfortable price level for most producers of smelter aluminium. Yet, that on 10 July Aluminij Mostar had to terminate its production has nothing to do with the current price development. For many years the company had been labouring under a spiralling burden of debt, it was technologi- cally outdated and the cost of power was ex- tremely high. Finally Aluminij could no longer pay its electricity bill, whereupon its supply was cut off.