The Chinese manganese ore market has followed an upward trend during the past week. The mainstream quotations of Australian lump ore with 44 percent Mn content currently stand at $6.68/dmtu at China's Tianjin port, while offers of South African origin lump ore of 44 percent Mn content are at $6.53/dmtu. Also at Tianjin port, quotations for 38 percent grade Mn ore from Australia are in the range of $6.45/dmtu, while offers of South African lump ore of 38 percent Mn content are at $6.29/dmtu.
The increase in Australian miner BHP Billiton's manganese ore quotations for February has boosted confidence levels in China's manganese ore market, while manganese ore stock replenishment in China during the winter season has also provided support for the upward trend of the domestic manganese ore market. Manganese alloy production volumes have increased in northern China, while production volumes in the south are relatively stable. In addition, purchase prices for manganese alloys in China are expected to indicate a small-scale increase as purchase prices were lower than expected last month. In this overall context, it is believed there is a good chance that manganese ore prices in China will continue their upward movement during the coming week.