In June this year, the purchasing managers' index (PMI) of the steel sector in China’s Hebei Province increased to 56.7 percent, up 6.4 percentage points month on month, reaching its highest level in the past 15 months, as announced by the Hebei Province Metallurgical Industry Association.
In June, the overall new order index for Hebei Province’s steel sector stood at 66.7 percent, up 11.1 percentage points compared to the previous month. Meanwhile, the new export order index for the sector was at 38.5 percent, decreasing by 6.5 percentage points month on month. In the given month, the production index for Hebei Province’s steel sector was at 60.7 percent, up 9.0 percentage points month on month, while, the inventory index for finished steel in Hebei Province increased to 37.0 percent, up 8.4 percentage points month on month. In addition, the raw material inventory index for the steel sector in Hebei decreased to 37.5 percent, down 1.3 percentage points month on month.