In March this year, the purchasing managers index (PMI) for the Chinese steel sector was at 44.2 percent, 1.8 percentage points lower than that recorded in February this year, as announced by the China Steel Logistics Committee (CSLC), which is part of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP).
Moreover, in March, the new order index stood at 44.4 percent, 3.0 percentage points higher than in February, but still lower than 45 percent.
In the given month, the production index for the Chinese steel sector stood at 37.7 percent, 75 percentage points lower than in February.
In March, the index of raw material purchase prices stood at 22.4 percent, 27.1 percentage points lower than in February, falling to the lowest level in ten months.
As for April, demand for steel from downstream users will improve slightly, while production activities will also increase, which will result in a fluctuating trend in finished steel prices.