Japanese aluminium shipments rose for a fifth month in November, as strong domestic demand offset continued weakness in exports.
Shipments jumped 4.9% year-on-year to 168,387 tonnes in November, according to the Japan Aluminium Association (JAA), though volumes were down 5.6% from the previous month. Buyers in Japan recently agreed on aluminium premiums of $255-256 per tonne for the first quarter of 2014, up from $245-247 in the fourth quarter of this year.