9 April
SAO PAULO,
Press Release

The expectation is that the market will return to 2008 levels and will reach 1.2 million ton. 
 
The Brazilian Aluminum Association – ABAL announces the Brazilian aluminum market performance in 2009. According to the entity, the domestic consumption of aluminum transformed products, last year, was 1,007.9 thousand ton, corresponding to 10.6% drop compared to 1,127 thousand ton consumed in 2008.

Even with this fall, which discontinued a series of five years of continuous growth, one can notice that consumption showed a gradual recovery every quarter. In the last quarter of 2009, for instance, the consumed volume was 6.3% higher than the consumption in the same period of 2008, when our economy felt the first signs of the economic-financial crisis.

For 2010, ABAL foresees that the domestic market will return to the same levels as in 2008 and estimates a consumption of 1,221.9 thousand ton, leveraged mainly by Sheets (+19.8%), Extruded Products (+24.5%) and Castings (+12.5%).

“In 2009, the decline in aluminum consumption reached practically all sectors in the economy, except for Packaging, that grew by 5.4% compared to 2008. However, in 2010, the expectation is that all segments will grow, following the performance of the national economy”, says Mauro Moreno, coordinator of ABAL´s Economics and Statistics Committee.

Trade Balance

As a reflex of international transactions and of commodities´ prices, external revenues of the Brazilian aluminum industry declined in 2009, reaching the amount of US$ 3.2 billion, a drop of 33% compared to 2008. Imports also decreased by 36% and amounted to a total of US$ 656 million. ABAL´s forecast for 2010 point out to a recovery, with exports achieving US$ 4.4 billion (FOB) and imports amounting to US$ 1.0 billion (FOB).