Japan end-Oct aluminium stocks edge up from Sept

TOKYO, Nov 10 - Aluminium stocks held at three major Japanese ports inched up 0.8 percent to 171,200 tonnes at the end of October from the previous month, when they had fallen to the lowest in 14 years, trading house Marubeni Corp <8002.T> said. Stocks had tumbled to 169,900 tones at the end of September, down 11.6 percent month-on-month, marking the lowest level since Marubeni began taking records about 14 years ago. Japan's demand for aluminium fell sharply after top manufacturers such as automakers cut output in the face of the worst economic downturn in decades. Imports tumbled as end-users chose to use up ballooning stocks rather than make fresh purchases of the metal used widely in the transport, packaging and construction industries. A Marubeni official attributed October's rise mainly to loading schedules, noting that the supply and demand situation for aluminium had not changed significantly. "Demand has recovered, but we are not seeing a major rise in sales," he said. He said industry officials remain worried about the demand outlook for the metal. Following are details of Japanese aluminium stocks, including month-on-month and year-on-year comparisons : Yokohama Nagoya Osaka Total Oct 31 81,600 76,600 13,000 171,200 Sept 30 84,600 73,300 12,000 169,900 Aug 31 94,550 85,650 12,000 192,200 Jul 31 94,300 67,900 12,000 174,200 End-Oct 2008 120,600 118,900 14,000 253,500