In the past week, the Chinese domestic manganese ore market has mostly followed a stable trend, though with slight decreases also seen in prices of certain ore grades. The mainstream quotations of Australian lump ore with 46 percent Mn content currently stand at $5.71-5.79/dmtu at China's Tianjin port, while offers of lump ore of 48 percent Mn content are at $5.71-5.79/dmtu. Also at Tianjin port, quotations for 44 percent grade Mn ore from Gabon are at $5.87/dmtu, while offers of South African lump ore of 38 percent Mn content are at $4.97/dmtu.
Australian miner BHP Billiton has released its manganese ore quotations for May during the past week, adjusting its prices in a downward direction by a significant margin. Other overseas miners may also follow the example of BHP Billiton. Amid the resulting reduction in costs, demand for manganese ore from domestic manganese alloy producers will likely start to pick up. For the coming week, manganese ore prices in the domestic market may still show some signs of weakness, while the trading volume may start to increase.