China's domestic manganese ore market has mostly continued to follow a stable trend during the past week. The mainstream quotations of Australian lump ore with 46 percent Mn content currently stand at $7.21-$7.37/dmtu at China's Tianjin port, while offers of lump ore of 48 percent Mn content are at $7.37/dmtu. Also at Tianjin port, quotations for 44 percent grade Mn ore from Gabon are in the range of $6.73/dmtu, while offers of South African lump ore of 38 percent Mn content are at $6.33/dmtu.
Australian miner BHP Billiton's manganese ore quotations for July have remained stable compared to its prices for June, thereby providing some support for the manganese ore prices in China. Meanwhile, the domestic manganese alloy market is still indicating a weak trend. Manganese ore traders are trying to sell off stocks and reduce risks. In addition, the South African lump ore futures market has indicated a decline due to increased investment in manganese ore mining in the country in question. So, overall, support from foreign manganese ore quotations is limited. It is thought that the Chinese manganese ore market will generally follow a stable trend in the coming week, but possibly with some slight weakness for certain grades.