In September this year, the purchasing managers index (PMI) for the Chinese steel sector was at 53.7 percent, down 3.5 percentage points as compared to August, as announced by the China Steel Logistics Committee (CSLC), which is part of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP).
In addition, in September the production index for the steel sector decreased by 1.9 percentage points compared to the previous month to 59.8 percent. Meanwhile, in September the sub-index for new orders saw a decrease of 6.0 percentage points month on month to 60.6 percent.
In the given month, the finished steel inventory index increased to 46.3 percent, up 4.2 percentage points month on month, the index for new export orders saw a month-on-month decrease of 4.5 percentage points to 40.5 percent, while the purchase price index of raw materials in the Chinese steel sector stood at 60.2 percent, indicating a drop of 8.8 percentage points month on month.