Daily Vault Briefing ·Aug 30, 2026
The physical board splits clean today: LME base-metal warehouses draining toward record lows while COMEX copper piles to an 8-month high, and Tokyo retail gold sitting a hair off its 38-year ceiling.
8 signals · 2 series crossed a threshold today
Today's standout is LME aluminum stocks at 246,725 mt, lowest in the 19-yr record. Alongside it, US gasoline stocks reads 206.8 MM bbl.
Down 1.2% on the week, down 2.1% over 30 days.
LME aluminum warehouse stocks are at 246,725 mt, the lowest in the 19-year record. The day was flat at down 0.0%, but the month took 7.9% off the pile.
US gasoline stocks stand at 206.8 M bbl, the lowest since Nov 2025. Down 1.2% on the week and 2.1% over 30 days.
Tokyo retail gold at Tanaka is ¥26,075/g, sitting in the 99th percentile of a 38-year record. Up 10.9% over the month despite a 0.5% slip on the day.
COMEX copper stocks hit 753,640 short tons, an 8-month high. Up 0.4% on the day and 6.1% over 30 days as metal accumulates in the warehouses.
COMEX registered platinum, the metal actually pledged against contracts, is at 191K oz, an 8-month low. Little changed today but down 2.5% over 30 days.
LME lead stocks are 406,250 mt, still in the 99th percentile of the 19-year record on level. The month has drained 9.2%, with 0.6% coming off on the day.
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve holds 289.7 M bbl, the lowest since Nov 1982. Down 1.3% on the week and 7.0% over 30 days.
COMEX platinum coverage, the share of open contracts backed by registered metal, is at 5.9%, an 8-month low. Flat on the day but down 19.1% over 30 days.
Sources and method
Sources: CME Group COMEX warehouse reports, LME warehouse data, EIA Weekly Petroleum Status Report, ETF issuer filings, and venue price quotes. Every figure is computed straight from the stored source data; percentiles rank today's level against the series' full record.