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Alcoa is a vertically integrated aluminum company whose operations include bauxite mining, alumina refining, and the manufacture of primary aluminum. It is the world’s largest bauxite miner and alumina refiner by production volume, and its profits are closely tied to prevailing commodity prices along the aluminum supply chain.

Alcoa Corp. is a global provider of bauxite, alumina and aluminum products. The company is based in Pittsburgh, and has approximately 13,800 employees.

Stocks eked out a win for the week, helped by early 3Q20 earnings results; investors were relieved as banks came in with lower-than-expected loan-loss provisions. The modest gains showed riskier stocks again outperforming blue chips. On Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 112 points, or 0.4%. The S&P 500 was flat and the Nasdaq Composite was down 0.4% on the day. For the full week, the Dow was up 0.1%, the S&P 500 was up 0.2%, and the Nasdaq was up 0.8%. For the year-to-date, the DJIA is up 0.2%, the S&P is up 7.8%, and the Nasdaq is up 30.1%. Over the past 52 weeks, the Dow is up 6.9%, the S&P 500 is up 16.7%, and the Nasdaq is up 44.3%.

(Bloomberg) — Analysts and investors are pressing Alcoa Corp. to make good on its promise of a greener future.The biggest U.S. aluminum maker spent a good chunk of its quarterly earnings call on Wednesday fielding questions over efforts on environmental, social and corporate governance issues — in particular its pledge to cut greenhouse-gas emissions.Metal producers including Alcoa are working to improve their environmental standing, with investor interest in ESG on the rise and customers such as automakers demanding less-polluting supply chains. Even as Alcoa grapples with fallout from the virus pandemic that has battered demand, Chief Executive Officer Roy Harvey seized the chance to explain plans for “green aluminum,” saying customers will increasingly shift attention to the carbon impact of raw materials.“Investors like us are looking at these companies to do better, and we are rating them on it and including that into our decision-making process,” said Michelle Dunstan, the global head of responsible investing at AllianceBernstein Holding LP, which manages $631 billion in assets. “Investors are learning more about how capital flows can shape action and consequences for the world and we’re seeing more and more asset owners question the process and strategy.”While aluminum is recyclable and lighter than steel — which means it makes fuel-efficient cars — it needs huge amounts of power to produce, and accounts for an estimated 1% of greenhouse gas emissions by the industrial sector. Coal is used to make much of the metal in China and other global suppliers. Alcoa and competitors such as Rio Tinto Group and United Co. Rusal are beginning to brand some of their aluminum as low-carbon because, in part, they use hydroelectricity as the power source.Last month, Pittsburgh-based Alcoa said the raw material it uses to make aluminum will emit half the industry’s average carbon dioxide.Alcoa, which saw its shares slide on Thursday after it projected a disappointing fourth-quarter outlook, may give investors a potential bullish case with its increasing focus on “green aluminum,” according to analysts including those at Citigroup Inc. and Berenberg Capital Markets LLC.AllianceBernstein’s Dunstan said ESG-minded investors need to do a lot of research to see if companies are following through on steps that will lower carbon footprints, improve working conditions, develop local communities and enhance company governance. She also said investments can’t be limited to a handful of companies with good track records, as that could cause overcrowding and is unlikely to drive overall positive change across sectors.“We actually need these producers in the world to survive, and rather than ignoring them our philosophy is engaging them, we want to force them or make them to do better,” Dunstan said. “Those are the ones we want invest in -– because we can actually demonstrate that improvement on ESG issues leads to outperformance.”For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody’s announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of Alcoa Nederland Holding B.V. New York, August 20, 2020 — Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”) has completed a periodic review of the ratings of Alcoa Nederland Holding B.V. and other ratings that are associated with the same analytical unit. The review was conducted through a portfolio review in which Moody’s reassessed the appropriateness of the ratings in the context of the relevant principal methodology(ies), recent developments, and a comparison of the financial and operating profile to similarly rated peers.