In December last year, the purchasing managers' index (PMI) of the steel sector in China’s Hebei Province increased to 39.1 percent, up 4.5 percentage points month on month, remaining below the threshold mark of 50 for the seventh consecutive month, as announced by the Hebei Province Metallurgical Industry Association.
In December, the overall new order index for Hebei Province's steel sector stood at 41.5 percent, up 6.4 percentage points compared to the previous month. Meanwhile, the new export order index for the sector was at 60.7 percent, up 6.5 percentage points month on month. In the given month, the production index for Hebei Province's steel sector was at 32.7 percent, up 5.0 percentage points month on month.
In December, the inventory index for finished steel in Hebei Province increased to 46.7 percent, up 5.3 percentage points month on month. In addition, the raw material inventory index in Hebei Province increased to 42.9 percent, up 4.7 percentage points month on month.