In January this year, the purchasing managers' index (PMI) of the steel sector in China’s Hebei Province increased to 47.0 percent, up 1.5 percentage points month on month, as announced by the Hebei Province Metallurgical Industry Association.
In January, the overall new order index for Hebei Province’s steel sector stood at 45.3 percent, down 8.9 percentage points compared to the previous month. Meanwhile, the new export order index for the sector was at 50.0 percent, increasing by 4.2 percentage points month on month. In the given month, the production index for Hebei Province’s steel sector was at 45.6 percent, up 10.1 percentage points month on month, while the inventory index for finished steel in Hebei Province increased to 37.1 percent, down 2.1 percentage points month on month. In addition, the raw material inventory index in Hebei Province decreased to 60.3 percent, up 18.2 percentage points month on month.