BEIJING: The Platts Chinese import premiums for Good Western aluminum fell further this week to $220-$240/mt CFR plus LME cash, down from $260-$280/mt last week, and also from $340-$360/mt in March.
Prevailing weak premiums delivered to South Korea and Japan remained the main force driving down China premiums, several sources said. But actual import trade to China remained slow as domestic metal prices stayed lower than import levels.
Premiums delivered to South Korea and Japan this week ranged between $200-$240/mt, down from $250-$300/mt earlier this month, sources said.
But there is still no arbitrage window now, as import prices are much higher than domestic,” a Shanghai-based trader said.
