In April this year, the purchasing managers' index (PMI) of the steel sector in China's Hebei Province decreased to 48.8 percent, down 0.7 percentage points month on month, as announced by the Hebei Province Metallurgical Industry Association.
In April, the overall new order index for Hebei Province's steel sector stood at 53.8 percent, down 3.4 percentage points compared to the previous month. Meanwhile, the new export order index for the sector was at 30.8 percent, down 2.5 percentage points month on month. In the given month, the production index for Hebei Province's steel sector increased to 50.0 percent, down 1.2 percentage points month on month.
In April, the inventory index for finished steel in Hebei Province increased to 38.5 percent, up 3.6 percentage points. In addition, the raw material inventory index in Hebei Province stood at 41.3 percent, up 4.7 percentage points, both month on month.