Aluminum Used in Electric Vehicles and Defense... U.S. Small-Cap Stocks Surge by 500 Billion Won in One Day

US aluminum producer Century Aluminum (NASDAQ: CENX) closed at $63.50 on the Nasdaq on May 12, up 5.52%. Trading volume was about 1.35 million shares, lifting its market capitalization to roughly $6.28 billion (approximately KRW 8.5 trillion). The one-day share gain added around $370 million (about KRW 0.5 trillion) to its valuation.

The stock has regained momentum, trading near its 52-week high of $64 set last month.

In its first-quarter results announced on May 7, Century Aluminum reported revenue of approximately $650 million, net income of about $340 million, and adjusted EBITDA of $230 million—a 35% increase in profitability from the prior quarter.

The company said it will significantly boost U.S. production capacity by expanding its Mt. Holly smelter in South Carolina and developing a new smelter in Oklahoma. It guided second-quarter EBITDA of $315 million to $335 million, raising growth expectations.

Headquartered in Chicago, Century Aluminum is a primary aluminum producer with smelters in Kentucky, South Carolina, and Iceland. The company has been listed on the Nasdaq since 1996.

With growing demand for lightweight materials in electric-vehicle bodies, battery housings, and aerospace and defense applications, the U.S. aluminum industry has become a strategic resource. Century Aluminum’s large-scale investments and capacity expansions are viewed as aligning with long-term efforts to strengthen America’s manufacturing and defense supply-chain security.