After the copper mining rally, who's next? The answer is aluminum. Here are seven aluminum mining stocks worth paying attention to:

Aluminum Corporation of China, up 60.74% this year, with a market cap of 195.6 billion, is the world's second-largest alumina producer. Yunnan Aluminum has done even better, more than doubling—up 117.27% with a market cap of 98.2 billion, mainly engaged in electrolytic aluminum and aluminum processing. Tianshan Aluminum is also impressive, up 88.35% and valued at 65.5 billion, focused on electrolytic aluminum and alumina. Nanshan Aluminum rose 41.01%, market cap 61.9 billion, focusing on aluminum processed products. Shenhuo Co. is up 65.85%, market cap 61.2 billion, with businesses spanning electrolytic aluminum, coal, and power generation. Zhongfu Industry is the craziest—up 183.04%! Market cap 32.1 billion, an aluminum deep-processing company. Jiaozuo Wanfang is up 65.02%, market cap 12.3 billion, also engaged in electrolytic aluminum.

The mining sector is actually a big family. Copper mining has leaders like Zijin Mining, and there are also iron ore, aluminum ore, lithium ore (( Ganfeng Lithium )), precious metals (( Shandong Gold )), and rare earths (( Northern Rare Earth )). The logic of the metals industry chain is simple: first, refine metals from the mines, such as turning bauxite into alumina via electrolysis, then process them into various aluminum products, and finally supply them to downstream applications.

This year, industrial metals have soared collectively, mainly because copper set the tone. Digging deeper? The US made a move—they actually need only 7% of the world's copper, but stockpiled 40%. The total supply hasn't changed, but with one player taking too much, others are left hungry. Supply-demand imbalance pushed up copper prices, and the sentiment spread to aluminum, iron, and other industrial metals. Essentially, the supply hasn't collapsed; it's just that the channels are blocked.

The current situation is quite delicate: those already on board don't want to get off, while those who missed out are afraid to chase. Existing holders have thick enough profits to keep holding and watch the ride; those on the sidelines shouldn't act impulsively, since the supply issue is structural, not a true shortage. If you're on board, keep a close eye on copper prices—once you see a clear turning point, it's time to get out. No one can guess where the top is, but the weathervane is still that copper pillar.