In June this year, the purchasing managers index (PMI) for the Chinese steel sector was at 48.2 percent, down 1.8 percentage points as compared to May, as announced by the China Steel Logistics Committee (CSLC), which is part of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP).
In addition, in June the production index for the steel sector decreased by 6.9 percentage points compared to the previous month to 49.1 percent. Meanwhile, in June the sub-index for new orders in the steel sector saw a rise of 1.2 percentage points month on month to 47.9 percent.
In the given month, the finished steel inventory index increased to 39.3 percent, up 1.0 percentage point month on month, while the purchase price index of raw materials in the Chinese steel sector stood at 63.5 percent, indicating a decrease of 4.2 percentage points month on month.