TOKYO, June 27 (Reuters) - Japanese aluminium buyers have agreed to pay producers a premium of $118 to 119 per tonne for metal shipped during the July to September quarter, reflecting weaker spot premiums, five sources directly involved in the quarterly pricing talks said.
The deals, which mark a 7 to 8 percent decline from the $128 per tonne premium PREM-ALUM-JP in the previous quarter, follow two quarters of rising premiums.
Japan is Asia's biggest importer of aluminium and the premiums for primary metal shipments it agrees to pay each quarter over the London Metal Exchange (LME) cash price CMAL0 set the benchmark for the region.