In June this year, the purchasing managers' index (PMI) of the steel sector in China’s Hebei Province decreased to 42.1 percent, down 9.2 percentage points month on month, as announced by the Hebei Province Metallurgical Industry Association.
In June, the overall new order index for Hebei Province's steel sector stood at 39.1 percent, down 19 percentage points compared to the previous month. Meanwhile, the new export order index for the sector was at 38.5 percent, down 0.8 percentage points month on month. In the given month, the production index for Hebei Province's steel sector was at 40.4 percent, down 9.6 percent month on month. In June, the inventory index for finished steel in Hebei Province increased to 47.8 percent, up 7.3 percentage point month on month. In addition, the raw material inventory index in Hebei Province decreased to 40.2 percent, down 7.5 percentage points month on month.