In January this year, the purchasing managers index (PMI) for the Chinese steel sector was at 49.7 percent, up 2.1 percentage points as compared to December last year, as announced by the China Steel Logistics Committee (CSLC), which is part of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP).
In addition, in January the production index for the steel sector increased by 3.7 percentage points compared to the previous month to 48.6 percent. Meanwhile, in January the sub-index for new orders saw an increase of 2.5 percentage points month on month to 50.3 percent.
In the given month, the finished steel inventory index decreased to 45.9 percent, down 3.7 percentage points month on month, the index for new export orders saw a month-on-month increase of 2.2 percentage points to 46.2 percent, while the purchase price index in the Chinese steel sector stood at 58.9 percent, indicating a decrease of 2.0 percentage points month on month.