In January this year, the purchasing managers index (PMI) for the Chinese steel sector was at 50.9 percent, up 0.7 percentage points as compared to December, 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 5.8 percentage points compared to the previous month to 51.9 percent. Meanwhile, in January the sub-index for new orders in the steel sector saw a decrease of 2.5 percentage points month on month to 55.8 percent.
In the given month, the finished steel inventory index increased to 55.9 percent, up 7.6 percentage points month on month, the index for new export orders saw a month-on-month increase of 9.3 percentage points to 45.4 percent, while the purchase price index of raw materials in the Chinese steel sector stood at 45.5 percent, indicating a decline of 6.2 percentage points month on month.