NEW YORK -- Alcoa Inc., the world's largest producer of soft alloy and hard alloy extruded products, has posted another round of price hikes on soft alloy extrusions it said would amount to 5 cents a pound effective with new orders starting June 26 and all shipments commencing June 30.

The Pittsburgh-based aluminum giant, which lofted a 7-cent-a-pound price hike on soft alloy extrusions in January, said that the new round would exclude rods in diameters over 7 inches, square bars over 6 inches and rectangular bars with a circle size topping 13 inches.

There was no indication from Alcoa at presstime as to whether the 5-cent-a-pound price hike scheduled for the end of June would be additional to prices arrived at following the 7-cent boost posted in January, adding up to at least a 12-cent-per-pound price increase year-to-date. U.S. aluminium companies seldom post price cuts.

Alcoa and its competitors posted price hikes of 21 to 24 cents a pound in the last three quarters of 1999--quite a bit better than the bench-mark London Metal Exchange cash price, which climbed about 19 cents a pound over the same period.

The LME price moved up another 6 cents a pound in January, providing the groundwork for the 7-cent move on soft alloy extrusions by Aloca and some of its competitors. But the LME price has since fallen about 9 cents a pound.

After a firm start, market prices for soft alloy extrusions also have been trending downward this year. Going prices for standard 6063 alloy extrusions, which ended 1999 at about $1.28 a pound, peaked at $1.38 to $1.39 a pound in February. At mid-year, they are approaching $1.28 a pound, a retreat which suggests that the early 2000 postings by aluminum companies didn't take root.

Market sources said Wednesday that Alcoa was cutting back operations at its four-press Yankton, South Dakota, plant, which it secured in conjunction with the July 1998 purchase of Alumax Inc. The Yankton plant serves mainly the truck trailer and housing markets. There was no confirmation of the cutback from Alcoa by presstime.