The weekly Davis Index for A380.1 rose by 3.1¢/lb on Friday to $1.103/lb delivered US amid tight supply and rising input costs.
Exports to Mexico at higher prices have taken some material away from the domestic market and this coincided with power outages at several smelter plants that impacted output.
Aside from losing power to unprecedented weather, smelters and raw material suppliers have also suffered set backs on freight with shipments delayed across the country. Other input costs, like copper, also spiked over the past week, leading smelters to lift alloy prices.
Alloy makers speculated that the market will continue to move upward in the near term and have set a target of $1.20/lb for A380.1 prices by June.
Still, with auto production hampered by semi-conductor supply and weather disruptions also affecting end-user markets, die casters are cautious as they navigate a period of hampered demand.
The weekly Davis index for A360.1 rose by 2.2¢/lb on Friday to settle at $1.147/lb delivered while 319.1 moved up 1.7¢/lb to $1.137/lb delivered. The index for A413.1 shot up by 3¢/lb to $1.16/lb delivered.
The LME Aluminium cash price settled Friday at $2,135/mt (96.8¢/lb), up by $59/mt from $2,076/mt on Feb 12.