In November this year, the purchasing managers' index (PMI) of the steel sector in China’s Hebei Province decreased to 34.6 percent, down 6.1 percentage points month on month, remaining below the threshold mark of 50 for the sixth consecutive month, as announced by the Hebei Province Metallurgical Industry Association.
In November, the overall new order index for Hebei Province's steel sector stood at 35.1 percent, down 3.3 percentage points compared to the previous month. Meanwhile, the new export order index for the sector was at 54.2 percent, up 8.0 percentage points month on month. In the given month, the production index for Hebei Province's steel sector was at 27.6 percent, down 12.4 percentage points month on month. In November, the inventory index for finished steel in Hebei Province increased to 41.4 percent, up 4.6 percentage points month on month. In addition, the raw material inventory index in Hebei Province decreased to 38.2 percent, down 0.6 percentage points month on month.