By Stuart Burns
Aluminum base prices on the London Metal Exchange ((LME)) have been sliding for the last couple of months, suggesting we have a market in surplus.
So when the United States removed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum from Canada and Mexico last month, you would have expected the resulting flood of lower-priced aluminum would have driven down the Midwest Premium.
No such luck.
Despite a minor blip, it has remained stubbornly elevated at over USD $400 per ton, raising howls of protest from consumers (particularly in the beverage can market).