In December last year, the purchasing managers index (PMI) for the Chinese steel sector was at 47.6 percent, down 3.4 percentage points as compared to November, as announced by the China Steel Logistics Committee (CSLC), which is part of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP).
In addition, in December the production index for the steel sector decreased by 3.9 percentage points compared to the previous month to 44.9 percent. Meanwhile, in December the sub-index for new orders saw a decrease of 8.1 percentage points month on month to 47.8 percent.
In the given month, the finished steel inventory index increased to 49.6 percent, up 4.5 percentage points month on month, the index for new export orders saw a month-on-month decrease of 6.2 percentage points to 44.0 percent, while the purchase price index in the Chinese steel sector stood at 60.9 percent, indicating a decrease of 16.5 percentage points month on month.