In Ordos, thermal coal market remained weak, although the rate of price decline slowed. Apart from coal companies handling own shipments, the market was mainly driven by essential demand from metallurgy and chemical industries, with traders remaining cautious. Overall demand was low, but some mines lowered prices to accelerate inventory depletion, leading to slight improvements in sales for a few mines. More mines planed to halt or reduce production as they near the completion of annual production targets. Some coal mines therefore begun to firm up prices.