In March this year, the purchasing managers index (PMI) for the Chinese steel sector was at 49.7 percent, up 0.7 percentage points as compared to February this year, as announced by the China Steel Logistics Committee (CSLC), which is part of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP).
In addition, in March the production index for the steel sector increased by 0.3 percentage points compared to the previous month to 49.8 percent. Meanwhile, in March the sub-index for new orders saw an increase of 2.4 percentage points month on month to 53.3 percent.
In the given month, the finished steel inventory index decreased to 37.7 percent, down 7.1 percentage points month on month, the index for new export orders saw a month-on-month decrease of 9.3 percentage points to 36.9 percent, while the purchase price index in the Chinese steel sector stood at 63.2 percent, indicating an increase of 13.3 percentage points month on month.