Total primary aluminium stocks at the three main Japanese ports (MJP) of Osaka, Nagoya and Yokohama fell by 9.7% year on year at the end of January, data from Japanese trading house Marubeni on Monday February 22 shows.
Aluminium stocks at the three ports totaled 275,500 tonnes as of January 31, down by 29,700 tonnes from 305,200 tonnes a year earlier, according to the data.
The year-on-year decline in stocks was mostly due to lower demand despite the
rise in the first-quarter benchmark premium to $130 per tonne, the highest quarterly level since it was settled in July-September 2018 at $132 per tonne.
Aluminium in Japan is mostly used...