China's domestic manganese ore market has mostly moved on a stable trend in the past week, though some slight downticks in prices have also been witnessed. The mainstream quotations of Australian lump ore with 46 percent Mn content currently stand at $6.97-$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 in the range of $6.23/dmtu, while offers of South African lump ore of 38 percent Mn content are at $5.67/dmtu.
Although some traders have chosen to reduce their manganese ore prices slightly due to the slackness of trading activity, the overall trend in the domestic manganese ore market is still mainly stable. Both supply and demand volumes in the market have declined. Downstream manganese alloy producers are maintaining a wait-and-see stance as manganese ore traders may further reduce prices to catch up with previous decreases announced by overseas miners. With new manganese ore shipments due to arrive at Chinese ports in the coming period, downward pressure on ore prices may increase. Overall, Chinese domestic manganese ore prices are expected to maintain a mostly stable trend in the coming week, with some slight decreases also likely.