Aluminum prices soaring toward all-time high reached during 2008 financial crisis

The cost of aluminum on Friday exceeded $3,200 per ton for the first time since 2008, trading data shows. In October alone, the price of the metal – used in everything from soft drink cans to microchips – gained 12%.

As of 13:00 GMT, the cost of aluminum futures with delivery in three months grew by 2.9% to $3,209 per ton on the London Metal Exchange (LME). Earlier in the day, the figure had reached as much as $3,214 per ton.

The spike in the cost of the metal propelled growth in the stock prices of aluminum producers. Shares of En+ Group, which owns a controlling stake in Russia’s aluminum giant Rusal, grew by 1.4% to 9,958 rubles ($140) per share on the Moscow Exchange. On the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Rusal shares soared 6.35% to 8.71 Hong Kong dollars ($1.12), reaching their peak since August 2011.

The price of the metal has been rising steadily for the past nine months. Overall, aluminum prices have jumped more than 60% since January, when the metal traded at around $2,000 per ton.

Market analysts attribute the rise in the cost of aluminum to a shortage of thermal coal in China and a general increase in energy prices, which could result in a decline in aluminum production.

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