In December last year, the purchasing managers' index (PMI) of the steel sector in China’s Hebei Province rose to 44.7 percent, up 0.5 percentage points month on 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 40.4 percent, up 3.9 percentage points compared to the previous month. Meanwhile, the new export order index for the sector was at 42.9 percent, increasing by 3.6 percentage points month on month. In the given month, the production index for Hebei Province’s steel sector was at 42.6 percent, down 3.7 percentage points month on month, while the inventory index for finished steel in Hebei Province decreased to 46.3 percent, down 9.3 percentage points month on month. In addition, the raw material inventory index for the steel sector in Hebei increased to 46.3 percent, up 3.7 percentage points month on month.