In April this year, the purchasing managers index (PMI) for the Chinese steel sector was at 52.1 percent, up 7.2 percentage points 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 9.8 percentage points compared to the previous month to 54.5 percent. Meanwhile, in April the sub-index for new orders in the steel sector saw a rise of 5.4 percentage points month on month to 51.7 percent.
In the given month, the finished steel inventory index increased to 37.9 percent, up 6.7 percentage points month on month, while the purchase price index of raw materials in the Chinese steel sector rose to 59.5 percent, indicating an increase of 9.9 percentage points month on month.