Some Japan buyers agree Q1 aluminium premium 30% higher than Q4 -sources

TOKYO (Reuters) – Some Japanese aluminium buyers have agreed to pay a global producer a premium of $228 per metric ton over the benchmark price for shipments from January to March, up 30% from this quarter, two sources directly involved in the talks said.

The fourth consecutive quarterly increase, the figure exceeds the $175 per ton paid in the quarter from October to December.

Japan is a major Asian importer of the light metal and the premiums for primary metal shipments it agrees to pay each quarter over the benchmark London Metal Exchange (LME) cash price set the yardstick for the region.