The nickel ore market was generally quiet yesterday, with prices holding steady. As the Chinese New Year holiday approaches, the number of market participants in China is gradually decreasing, leading to subdued trading activity. Both buyers and sellers adopted a cautious stance. Facing high raw material costs and immediate production pressure, Chinese plants showed low willingness to purchase nickel ore at current price levels. Considering the long holiday, most plants focused on consuming existing inventory and fulfilling long-term contracts, and they suspended new spot procurement plans. As a result, actual market transactions were scarce. The Indonesian market also entered a pre-holiday lull, with no new major transactions or policy news. The market continued to apply pricing for the first half of February, while downstream smelters' purchasing activity remained inactive, with the overall market in a wait-and-see mode.SHFE nickel prices edged higher yesterday.