In January this year, the purchasing managers' index (PMI) of the steel sector in China’s Hebei Province increased to 47.8 percent, up 8.6 percentage points month on month, as announced by the Hebei Province Metallurgical Industry Association on February 1.
In January of the current year, the overall new order index for Hebei Province's steel sector stood at 52.4 percent, up 10.9 percentage points compared to the previous month. Meanwhile, the new export order index for the sector was at 53.6 percent, down 7.1 percentage points month on month. In the given month, the production index for Hebei Province's steel sector was at 50.0 percent, up 17.5 percentage points month on month. In January, the inventory index for finished steel in Hebei Province decreased to 40.0 percent, down 6.7 percentage points month on month. In addition, the raw material inventory index in Hebei Province increased to 53.6 percent, up 10.7 percentage points month on month.