Kaiser to permanently close an aluminum plant.

Closing the Baton Rouge, La., plant will result in the biggest full-year loss ever for Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical. The decision to take a $160-million write-down in the value of the foundry and some smaller assets makes it the third big aluminum firm to take such action in the fourth quarter, reflecting a world oversupply of the metal and depressed prices. The fourth-quarter charge, on top of a $50-million net loss through the first nine months of the year, seemed likely to put Kaiser’s 1985 loss in the $200-million range.