The North American net new aluminum mill order index in February was down 7.1% from January, the Aluminum Association said Monday. New mill orders also slipped 2.9% from February 2013, and the year-to-date index is down 2%, the group said in a report.
February plate orders tumbled 22% from January, but were up 15.6% from February 2013. February sheet orders were down 7.9% from January and down 1.8% from the year-ago period.
What About Today’s Prices?
The cash price of primary Indian aluminum saw a 1 percent increase on Monday, March 10, making it the biggest mover for the day.
On the LME, the 3-month price of aluminum declined 0.2 percent to $1,770 per metric ton. The cash price of primary aluminum saw a 0.1 percent decline on the LME to $1,729 per metric ton.
Chinese aluminum prices closed flat for the day. The cash price of Chinese aluminum held steady. The price of Chinese aluminum scrap was unchanged as well. For the fifth consecutive day, the price of Chinese aluminum billet held flat. The price of Chinese aluminum bar also remained essentially flat.