In January this year, China's producer price index (PPI) for its ferrous metal smelting and rolling sector increased by 0.7 percent year on year, shifting from the year-on-year decline of 0.7 percent recorded in December last year, according to data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on February 10. This month, producers’ prices will likely move down sharply due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, which resulted in an extension of the Chinese New Year holiday and the postponement of demand.
China's overall producer price index (PPI) edged up by 0.1 percent year on year in January, shifting from a year-on-year decrease of 0.5 percent in December, and remained stable month on month. Meanwhile, in January Chinese industrial producers' purchase prices were down 0.3 percent year on year and up 0.2 percent compared to December last year.