Aluminum heads for fourth weekly drop on Mideast supply return

Aluminium headed for a fourth weekly decline, the longest losing streak since April 2025, as a renewed selloff in Asian tech stocks added to pressure from a stronger US dollar and returning Middle East supplies.

The light metal was on track to lose around 7% for the week, as the interim US-Iran peace deal fuelled expectations of renewed shipments from a region that accounts for nearly a 10th of global production. The war has shuttered local smelters and choked shipments of metal and raw materials in and out of the Persian Gulf.

Still, an attack on a cargo ship Thursday renewed concerns about safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and fuelled uncertainty about future transits.

Industrial metals including copper were also hit Friday by a renewed selloff in Asian tech shares, underscoring the heightened volatility that has gripped the sector this week. Metals often move in tandem with technology stocks due to their applications in electronics, wiring and AI-driven data centers.

Aluminium will continue to fluctuate at a weak level, kept in check by bearish short-term macro sentiment, brokerage Jinrui Futures said in a note.

Adding to the pressure on metals earlier in the week, US Federal Reserve policymakers signaled growing support for interest-rate hikes in the coming months. Higher borrowing costs are a headwind for commodities that don’t pay interest, making them a less attractive investment than yield-bearing assets like Treasuries.

Renewed dollar strength has also made metals priced in the US currency more expensive for most buyers. A gauge of the greenback was on track to gain around 0.7% this week.

Aluminium fell 0.2% to $3 158 a ton on the London Metal Exchange as of 11:10 a.m. in Shanghai. Other base metals also declined, with copper down 0.9% and nickel losing 1%.

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