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Friday, 08 May 2026

2 stories · Alex's Daily Alu Digest

LME Aluminium $3,559/t -$38 (-1.1%) Cash settlement · USD/t
ECDP $593/t +$0 (+0.0%) P1020A in-whs dp Rotterdam · USD/t

Solid start to the year: BMW Group achieves group EBT margin at previous full-year level

BMW Group delivered Q1 2026 EBT of €2,348 million at a 7.6% margin, shipping 566,000 retail units (-3.5% year-on-year); BEV sales fell 20.1% to 87,000 units while the company confirmed its full-year 2026 guidance of moderate EBT decline with an automotive EBIT margin target of 4%-6%.

Novelis angle

BMW’s confirmed 2026 production guidance maintains planned BIW aluminium sheet demand; the Neue Klasse iX3 launch (50,000+ European pre-orders since March) signals sustained high-content-aluminium platform activity for Novelis’s European automotive segment.

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G7 focuses on aluminium and other critical minerals as US-EU tariff tensions test unity

G7 trade ministers convened in Paris on 6 May to advance discussions on securing critical mineral supply chains including aluminium, targeting reduced Chinese dependency; France’s lead minister cited China’s mineral market concentration as a strategic risk, and ministers discussed establishing a permanent critical minerals secretariat potentially hosted at the IEA or OECD. US threats to raise EU car tariffs to 25% strained transatlantic unity during the session.

Novelis angle

A G7 aluminium supply chain framework targeting non-Chinese sourcing could accelerate European regulatory and financial support for secondary/recycled aluminium capacity, directly benefiting Novelis as Europe’s largest aluminium recycler with its 3×30 targets.

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