China's manganese ore prices slide further to 2-month low

Chinese manganese ore prices continued to lose ground this week due to the thin demand from silicomanganese smelters, industry watchers say. As of November 17, the price of South Africa-origin 36.5% grade Mn ore at North China's Tianjin port had hit a two-month low of Yuan 34.44/dmtu ($5.4/dmtu) including the 13% VAT, lower by another Yuan 0.56/dmtu from one week before, according to Mysteel's assessment.

Demand for manganese ore from SiMn smelters has slowed as many have adopted a wait-and-see stance on procurement after watching prices of Mn ore softened, Mysteel Global noted. Falling SiMn prices are also squeezing the smelters' profit margins further. "Some small- and medium-sized smelters in southern China have halted operations