In April this year, the purchasing managers index (PMI) for the Chinese steel sector was at 51.7 percent, up 1.1 percentage point as compared to March, as announced by the China Steel Logistics Committee (CSLC), which is part of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP).
In addition, in April the production index for the steel sector increased by 0.7 percentage points compared to the previous month to 51.3 percent. Meanwhile, in April the sub-index for new orders in the steel sector saw an increase of 4.0 percentage points month on month to 55.9 percent.
In the given month, the finished steel inventory index decreased to 49.2 percent, down 6.8 percentage points month on month, the index for new export orders saw a month-on-month increase of 4.7 percentage points to 45.6 percent, while the purchase price index of raw materials in the Chinese steel sector stood at 45.3 percent, indicating an increase of 4.5 percentage points month on month.