[Ferro-alloys.com]Market players reported that business was largely quiet through the nearly two weeks of recent holidays. In Europe, many industry participants were unreachable. The year is expected to start off slowly as buyers return to work. Most mills were anticipated to have material for January and first quarter demand already on hand or otherwise en route via orders placed in the fourth quarter of 2013. In the US, the bulk ferroalloy market was relatively quiet. According to market players, a few spot orders trickled in during the limited workdays throughout the holidays, but most orders are not expected to close until next week. One large US mill sent out an RFQ for silicomanganese, and the award should be announced on or before January 6. One seller noted, “I thought that they had settled all of their silicomanganese needs, but I guess I was wrong.”