Lisa Wang | U.S. Department of Commerce
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has launched an online monitor that provides an overview of the movement of aluminum through the global market, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) agency announced recently.
The Global Aluminum Trade Monitor (GATM) was introduced Jan. 3 as "a free, interactive, comparative analysis tool" that "highlights global aluminum trade flows from the largest aluminum-producing and exporting countries," according to the announcement.
The GATM was developed using data sourced by IHSMarkit, a global trade monitor as a means for users to study the global aluminum market, create custom visual reports and develop insight into how countries that import and export aluminum react to global market conditions, according to the announcement.
The GATM can create tens of thousands of charts on the primary aluminum exporting/importing countries, in seven aluminum-product categories. By using import data from countries, the GMAT can construct reverse flow export figures for countries that don't report aluminum trade data, the report states. Users can view data in both value and volume in order to create customized analysis, according to the report.
“The Global Aluminum Trade Monitor provides a critical U.S. industry with the data it needs to make informed decisions,” Lisa Wang, assistant secretary of Commerce for Enforcement and Compliance, said in the announcement.
“The development of this interactive tool builds upon the agency’s current Aluminum Import Monitor by including global aluminum trade flows," Wang said, "not just the trade of products imported into the United States.”
