Trade is suffering as firms use up the inventories they had built up in anticipation of higher tariffs. Expect more of this in 2019. But what really matters is firms' long-term investment plans, as they begin to lower their exposure to countries and industries that carry high geopolitical risk or ... Read More
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Twice the volume of alumina sales in 2018’s latter half helped offset a drop in aluminium production and prices, balancing out China Hongqiao Group’s net profit in the period. In a filing released late last week, Hongqiao reported a full-year net income of CNY5.41 billion (US$805.97 million), off by ... Read More
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A March 5 change in the value-added tax (VAT) assessed on the manufacturing sector by the government of the People’s Republic of China in response to ongoing trade tensions with the United States may soon translate to a flood of semi-manufactured aluminium products on the global market. In a report ... Read More
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Globalisation has slowed from light speed to a snail's pace in the past decade for several reasons. The cost of moving goods has stopped falling. Multinational firms have found that global sprawl burns money and that local rivals often eat them alive. Activity is shifting towards services, which are ... Read More
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Russian Federation aluminium titan U.C. Rusal announced yesterday that it has readied construction on a ₽500 million (US$7.84 million) pilot plant at Achinsk Alumina Refinery (AGK) dedicated to the production of fine precipitated aluminium hydroxide (FPAH). Rusal says the pilot plant, which will ... Read More
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Slowbalisation A new pattern of world commerce is becoming clearer-as are its costs When America took a protectionist turn two years ago, it provoked dark warnings about the miseries of the 1930s. Today those ominous predictions look misplaced. Yes, China is slowing. And, yes, Western firms exposed ... Read More
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In stark contrast with the measure’s intended purpose of protecting United States aluminium producers from imports, the Section 232 tariffs on said imports have coaxed even more aluminium exports from producers in the People’s Republic of China. Such was the conclusion of a report recently released ... Read More
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Toyota Motor Corp. announced Thursday it is investing an additional $750 million at five U.S. plants that will add nearly 600 jobs, including the production of two hybrid vehicles for the first time at its Kentucky facility. It marks yet another expansion of the Japanese automaker’s U.S. presence, ... Read More
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Canadian ambassador to the United States David MacNaughton continues to say an end to the Section 232 import tariffs on the dominion’s aluminium and steel will come to an end “in the next few weeks” in a repetition of similar comments made almost a month ago. The ambassador pointed to comments made ... Read More
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The upcoming European visit by President Xi Jinping will be a highlight of China's diplomacy with the European Union this year, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Brussels on Monday. Wang, who is attending the 9th round of the China-EU High-Level Strategic Dialogue and meeting with ... Read More
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