Chinese domestic manganese ore prices have moved on a stable trend in the past week. The mainstream quotations of Australian lump ore with 46 percent Mn content currently stand at $6.88-$7.13/dmtu at China's Tianjin port, while offers of lump ore of 48 percent Mn content are at $7.29/dmtu. Also at Tianjin port, quotations for 44 percent grade Mn ore from Gabon are at $6.32/dmtu, while offers of South African lump ore of 38 percent Mn content are at $5.67/dmtu.
The manganese ore market in China was quiet in the past week, while prices remained unchanged. Australian miner BHP Billiton released its manganese ore quotations for November, making just a small upward adjustment compared to October quotations. This did not have much impact on the Chinese market as market players had already been expecting the miner's prices to move sideways or to rise slightly. Nevertheless, the slight uptick has had a positive influence on market sentiment. Meanwhile, electricity charges are expected to rise in southern China in the coming period. This would have a negative influence on production of manganese alloys and result in reduced demand for manganese ore. Overall, China's domestic manganese ore prices are expected to maintain a sideways trend in the coming week.