Aluminum usage down 19.1% in first half but is already rebounding, says Abal - Brazil

Brazilian aluminum consumption fell 19.1% year-on-year in the first half to 453,200t but usage in just the second quarter grew 4.1% compared to Q1, national aluminum association Abal reported in a statement. The association said it expects consumption to total 984,900t this year, down from 1.10Mt in 2008. Abal is forecasting a 17.3% increase in consumption during the second half, versus the first six months of 2009. "For the Brazilian aluminum industry, recovery has begun in this second half," Abal president Luis Carlos Loureiro said in the statement. "We believe consumption will reach the same level as last year [in 2010]."