The Chinese manganese ore market has generally moved on a sideways trend in the past week, though some very minor upticks were noted. The mainstream quotations of Australian lump ore with 44 percent Mn content currently stand at $6.5-6.65/dmtu at China's Tianjin port, while offers of South African origin lump ore of 44 percent Mn content are at $6.67/dmtu. Also at Tianjin port, quotations for 38 percent grade Mn ore from Australia are in the range of $6.11-6.26/dmtu, while offers of South African lump ore of 38 percent Mn content are at $6.18/dmtu.
The trading volume in the Chinese manganese ore market has been on the low side in the past week. Meanwhile, there has been no improvement in the manganese alloy market and this has caused an increase in pessimism among traders. In addition, quoted prices for manganese ore from overseas suppliers do not give adequate support for prices in China. At the same time, no official announcement has yet been made regarding the anticipated cuts in electricity supply charges in China. It is expected that manganese ore prices in China will move on a slight downward trend approaching the end of the current month.