Nearby tightness in LME aluminium eased in uninspiring ring trading on Friday which saw most base metals edge slightly higher.
Aluminium steadied, despite a hefty 20,750-tonne stock rise, to trade at $1,628 per tonne, up nearly $10 on Thursday's kerb close.
But the spotlight was on the nearby spreads, as tom/next traded in level from $10 backwardation as prompt metal became available to the shorts. Cash/day eased to $5/8.
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Further forward, backwardations held firm, with cash/threes at $50 and cash/Sept trading at $60, maintaining the incentive for long players to return metal to market, traders said.
Traders said the stock rise was about 8,000 tonnes higher than expected, but were not surprised by the resilience of the price.
Analysts and traders said they expected stocks to continue this sharp rise, and another 50,000-tonne increase can not be ruled out next week, they said.
Interest in copper was sparse during "apathetic" trade which again failed to test the $2,200 a tonne level, traders said. The $10 drop in the cash price in Friday's second ring was not significant, and interest in copper is poor, they said.