Aluminium Market and the Macroeconomy

Abstract

We propose and test a structural model of the interaction between the aluminium market and the macro-economy incorporating the rational expectations hypothesis. Based on a competition la Cournot, our model predicts that aluminium spot price and inventories will respond to macroeconomic shocks to line up supply to the demand level. The model also includes incomplete adjustments to shocks that occur near the delivery date of futures contracts with the implication of a likely high persistence in the aluminium spot price.

Estimation results show that the aluminium price is significantly affected by the real exchange rate, while the influence of the real interest rate is small. We argue that this result is largely expected once we consider the peculiar features of the aluminium market. Further support to this view is provided by the large persistence of the aluminium price response to its own shock and by the negligible contribution of stockholdings innovations to the price forecast error variance. Finally, macroeconomic shocks explain on the whole a relevant share of the aluminium market variables forecast error variance.

Keywords: Metal commodities, Monetary transmission mechanism, Rational Expectations Hypothesis test, SVAR

JEL Classification: L11, D84, C32