In January this year, the purchasing managers index (PMI) for the Chinese steel sector was at 46.7 percent, up 6.1 percentage points as compared to December last year, as announced by the China Steel Logistics Committee (CSLC), which is part of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP).
In addition, in January the production index for the steel sector increased by 7.1 percentage points compared to the previous month to 45.6 percent. Meanwhile, in January the sub-index for new orders saw an increase of 9.0 percentage points month on month to 49.9 percent.
In the given month, the finished steel inventory index decreased to 34.4 percent, down 5.1 percentage points month on month, the index for new export orders saw a month-on-month increase of 3.1 percentage points to 50.9 percent, while the purchase price index in the Chinese steel sector stood at 38.8 percent, indicating an increase of 12.8 percentage points month on month.