In August this year, the purchasing managers index (PMI) for the Chinese steel sector was at 50.1 percent, down 0.1 percentage point as compared to July, as announced by the China Steel Logistics Committee (CSLC), which is part of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP).
In addition, in August the production index for the steel sector increased by 0.4 percentage points compared to the previous month to 50.5 percent. Meanwhile, in August the sub-index for new orders saw an increase of 1.6 percentage points month on month to 52.1 percent.
In the given month, the finished steel inventory index decreased to 49.3 percent, down 2.3 percentage points month on month, the index for new export orders saw a month-on-month increase of 1.3 percentage points to 57.0 percent, while the purchase price index in the Chinese steel sector stood at 61.4 percent, indicating an increase of 6.1 percentage points month on month.