The Chinese manganese ore market has mostly followed a stable trend in the past week, though the price of Australian lump ore has risen slightly amid low stock levels. The mainstream quotations of Australian lump ore with 44 percent Mn content currently stand at $6.26/dmtu at China's Tianjin port, while offers of South African origin lump ore of 44 percent Mn content are at $6.26/dmtu. Also at Tianjin port, quotations for 38 percent grade Mn ore from Australia are in the range of $6.11/dmtu, while offers of South African lump ore of 38 percent Mn content are at $5.95/dmtu.
The low manganese ore inventory levels at China's ports have been providing support for manganese ore prices in China. The slight rise in manganese alloy prices has boosted the confidence of traders of manganese ore. Meanwhile, arrivals of new manganese ore supplies at Chinese ports are slow. Since there is relatively little rain in autumn, electricity costs increase and this may have a negative impact on manganese alloy production volumes, thereby negatively influencing demand for manganese ore. For the coming period, it is believed that China's manganese ore market will be mostly characterized by stability, with some small increases also anticipated.