Japan aluminium buyers to pay 17-19 pct lower import premiums for Jan-March

TOKYO: Japanese aluminium buyers will pay between 17 percent and 19 percent lower import premiums for January-March than the previous quarter on smaller spot premiums in Asia amid ample supply, sources directly involved in the pricing talks said.

The deals were mainly done at premiums of $85 per tonne, with a few deals done at $83 and $84, down from $103 per tonne in the previous quarter, the sources said.

Japan is Asia's biggest importer of aluminium and the premiums <PREM-ALUM-JP> for primary metal shipments it agrees to pay each quarter over the London Metal Exchange (LME) cash price set the benchmark for the region.

Following is a table of premiums agreed between Japanese buyers and global suppliers since 2005.