TOKYO, Oct 5 (Reuters) - The premium for aluminium shipments to Japanese buyers for October to December was set at $220 a tonne, up 19% from the previous quarter, reflecting higher overseas premiums amid tight supply, six sources directly involved in pricing talks said.
The figure is higher than the $185 per tonne paid in the July-September quarter and marks a fifth consecutive quarterly increase though it came below the initial offers of $230-$250 made by producers.
Japan is Asia's biggest importer of the light metal and the premiums PREM-ALUM-JP for primary metal shipments it agrees to pay each quarter over the benchmark London Metal Exchange (LME) cash price CMAL0 set the benchmark for the region.
(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi)
((Yuka.Obayashi@thomsonreuters.com; +813-4520-1265;))