[Chart] Aluminum Reached $3,654.02 on May 1, Up 1.66% From a Month Earlier
Aluminum prices reached a high of $3,654.02 on May 1, 2026, up 1.66% from a month earlier.
Cover Story
Issue 01The United States launched a second round of airstrikes on Iran early Thursday after Trump said additional attacks could follow if Tehran does not accept a deal. Iran responded with strikes toward Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, while negotiations remained unresolved and oil prices rose amid Strait of Hormuz tensions.
Aluminum prices reached a high of $3,654.02 on May 1, 2026, up 1.66% from a month earlier.
Oil prices rose by more than $1 after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz was closed following additional U.S. strikes on Iranian cities. The move raised concerns over Middle East supply flows, while the U.S. Energy Information Administration said lower 2026 demand could limit the impact of disruption on prices.
The United States launched a second round of airstrikes on Iran early Thursday after Trump said additional attacks could follow if Tehran does not accept a deal. Iran responded with strikes toward Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, while negotiations remained unresolved and oil prices rose amid Strait of Hormuz tensions.
Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority has opened an investigation into whether Ryanair’s mandatory family seat charge, usually about GBP8 each way, may breach consumer law. The review covers whether the fee effectively charges parents for seating linked to child-safety and disability obligations and how the charge is presented during booking.
Ethiopia approved a draft federal budget of 2.34 trillion birr for the next fiscal year, about 21% higher than the previous year, with spending directed to regular and capital outlays and transfers to regional governments. Authorities expect a budget deficit of 1.4% of GDP, while debt restructuring talks, including with Eurobond holders, continue.
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to chair a Thursday video conference on global economic imbalances involving G7 members, China and the International Monetary Fund. Other countries invited to the G7 summit, including Brazil, South Korea, India, Kenya and Egypt, are also expected to take part.
WTI oil posted an unusually sharp one-day gain of 5.3% on June 1, 2026, rising to $95.96 from $91.16 two days earlier.
The World Bank said Cambodia’s economy remained resilient, with foreign direct investment reaching $5.1 billion, or 10.1% of GDP, in 2025, up 15% from a year earlier. Goods exports excluding gold increased 17.7% year on year in the first quarter of 2026, according to its June update.
US producer prices for final demand jumped unusually sharply in April 2026, rising 1.38% from March.
Brazil’s Senate Constitution and Justice Committee approved a proposal expanding the central bank’s financial and administrative autonomy, including exclusive authority over Pix regulation and limits on transferring the payments system to another entity. Trade groups for banks, fintechs and payment companies publicly supported stronger central bank supervisory authority.
US CPI saw an unusually sharp monthly increase in April 2026, rising 0.64% from March.
Copper reached $13,483.75 on May 1, 2026, its highest level since January 1992.
The U.S. military said it carried out strikes on Iranian air defense, ground-control and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz after a U.S. Army Apache went down off Oman. Two crew members were rescued and were in stable condition. Iranian media reported explosions in Qeshm, Sirik, Bandar Abbas and near Jask.
Iran said U.S. strikes hit two water reservoirs in the Sirik area of southern Iran, disrupting drinking water supplies for about 20,000 residents, including villages in the Bamani district. Local authorities were assessing damage to the water infrastructure, according to reports citing Iranian officials and state media.
U.S. average retail prices for 100% ground beef reached $6.899 per pound in May, according to BLS data. USDA said a new New World screwworm case was confirmed in a calf in La Salle County, Texas, bringing the reported total in the state to six, while cattle futures ended lower Monday.
The European Central Bank halted new product launches by Revolut’s European arm across the European Economic Area last summer, according to notifications made in July 2025. The bank also required an independent review and asked Revolut’s board to examine how future launches could affect capital, liquidity and internal approvals.