This week the global aluminium industry has witnessed a lot of significant events. From North America’s brewing tariff tensions to fluctuating stock performances in India, to three major players of the global aluminium industry, namely Rio Tinto, Vedanta and Constellium SE announcing their latest financial updates.
To begin with, Rio Tinto, reported a dip in financial performance for the first half of 2025, with US aluminium tariffs and weaker commodity prices weighing heavily. Net cash from operating activities dropped 1.9 per cent year-over-year to USD 6.92 billion, while free cash flow plunged 31 per cent to USD 1.96 billion. Read further to know the reason behind the decline.
Constellium SE posted mixed results as well. While Q2 2025 revenue grew 10.5 per cent year-on-year to USD 2.1 billion, boosted by favourable pricing and exchange rates, profitability and cash flow saw marked declines. Shipments in the quarter rose modestly by 1.6 per cent to 384 thousand metric tons, led by strength in the Packaging & Automotive Rolled Products segment. However, the gains in topline performance were offset by margin compression and increased operational costs.
Vedanta Limited fell short of profit expectations for the first quarter of FY26, as declining aluminium and copper prices, along with a significant rise in tax expenses, dragged down earnings. This came despite solid domestic demand and strong operational performance across its diverse business segments, leading to a contraction in the conglomerate’s bottom line.
Alcoa maintained its commitment to shareholders despite a challenging market environment. The company declared a consistent quarterly cash dividend of USD 0.10 per share for both its common and Series A convertible preferred stock, underscoring its financial resilience. Click here to read more.
As the clock ticks toward the August 1 trade deadline, Ontario Premier Doug Ford is urging the federal government to counter rising US tariffs with matching 50 per cent duties on American steel and aluminium, a move that underscores the growing unease around international trade relations. Read to know further what will happen if implemented?
As August 1 nears, trade talks between the US and Canada have taken a new turn, with growing attention on aluminium tariffs. On July 31, 2025, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent addressed the mounting financial pressure on American manufacturers, highlighting Ford Motor Company in particular and hinted at possible tariff relief for Canada’s aluminium and steel sectors.
This trade friction comes at a time when the global primary aluminium industry has managed to maintain modest momentum, recording a 1.4 per cent year-on-year production growth in Q2 2025. While this growth rate is slower compared to 2024, it was largely driven by favourable aluminium prices on the London Metal Exchange, which ranged between USD 2,499 and USD 2,593 per tonne during the quarter.
Meanwhile, in India, the metal sector is reflecting these global tensions and pricing shifts through volatile stock movements, with major players like NALCO, Vedanta Aluminium, and Hindalco witnessing fluctuating trends. The mixed performance signals investor caution amid a landscape shaped by raw material price inflation, policy uncertainties, and now, the looming spectre of renewed tariff wars.
India’s Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the UK, initially celebrated for promising duty-free market access, has drawn criticism from trade experts and industry leaders for failing to secure exemptions from carbon taxes. According to the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), this oversight could jeopardise Indian exports worth $775 million annually, particularly in carbon-intensive sectors such as aluminium, steel, fertilisers, and cement, once the UK’s carbon border measures take effect in 2027.
Other significant updates
RUSAL, one of the world’s leading aluminium producers, has begun manufacturing iron and titanium alloying tablets in Russia’s Sverdlovsk Region. This import substitution initiative aims to fully meet the domestic aluminium industry’s demand for these essential raw materials, enhancing the technological self-sufficiency of the Russian industrial sector. Previously, these alloying materials were sourced from abroad.
Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest aluminium producer, is poised to make the biggest manufacturing capital investment of Q1 FY26 with a greenfield aluminium smelter project worth INR 1.3 trillion (USD 15.64 billion) in Odisha. This major investment signals rising private sector confidence and supports Vedanta’s ambitious plan to build a 3 MTPA smelter, integrated with a 4,900 MW power plant near Kamakhyanagar in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district.
LME price update
On Monday, July 29, the LME aluminium cash bid price and LME aluminium official settlement price both edged lower by 0.92 per cent to halt at USD 2,632 per tonne and USD 2,632.5 per tonne. The next day (July 30, Tuesday), the prices dropped further by USD 25 per tonne and USD 23.5 per tonne to clock at USD 2,607 per tonne and 2,609 per tonne. On Wednesday, both the cash bid price and official settlement price moved up the graph by 0.11 per cent and 0.08 per cent. However, the next day (Thursday, August 1), the prices witnessed a significant drop of USD 30.5 per tonne and USD 31 per tonne.
Events under the bauxite segment
ABx Group Limited has announced significant strides in both its rare earths and bauxite ventures. In Tasmania, the company’s recent scout drilling campaign yielded promising results, with over 30 per cent of drill holes revealing rare earth mineralisation. Progress continues at the Deep Leads project, where a formal Processing Options Analysis is underway, and a sample has been submitted to ANSTO for assessment. Click here to read more.
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has strongly refuted claims that a $1.2 billion bauxite lease granted to Rocksure International was cancelled in favour of foreign firms, dismissing the allegations as false, unfounded, and misleading. Click here to read more.
Indonesia’s state-owned mining holding company, MIND ID, is advancing a multi-phase, vertically integrated strategy to position the country as a global hub for aluminium production. Through its subsidiary, PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (Inalum), MIND ID plans to boost national aluminium production capacity from 275,000 tonnes per year to 900,000 tonnes annually by 2029.
Himoinsa, a global leader in power generation solutions, has commissioned a 24 MW power plant for a metallurgy facility in Kouriah, reinforcing energy stability in one of Conakry’s key industrial zones. This development is particularly relevant amid Conakry’s ongoing export boom. As of Q1 2025, the region has emerged as Guinea’s top contributor to total bauxite exports, driven by the abundance of high-grade bauxite deposits and the adoption of advanced mining technologies. Click here to read more.