Despite Chinese winter smelter production cuts generally falling short of expectations and domestic stocks continuing to climb - both of which suggest the market remains far more comfortably supplied at this point than aluminium bulls had been anticipating - prices still rallied into the year-end to reach $2,290/tonne for the first time since March 2012.
And after a New Year pull-back the strength has returned at the time of writing in mid-January. A weaker US dollar and bullish investor sentiment toward the base metals in general...