In April this year, the purchasing managers index (PMI) for the Chinese steel sector was at 57.3 percent, up 7.6 percentage points as compared to March, as announced by the China Steel Logistics Committee (CSLC), which is part of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP).
In addition, in April the production index for the steel sector increased by 10.6 percentage points compared to the previous month to 60.4 percent. Meanwhile, in April the sub-index for new orders saw an increase of 12.3 percentage points month on month to 65.6 percent.
In the given month, the finished steel inventory index decreased to 34.9 percent, down 2.8 percentage points month on month, the index for new export orders saw a month-on-month increase of 15.6 percentage points to 52.5 percent, while the purchase price index in the Chinese steel sector stood at 75.3 percent, indicating an increase of 12.1 percentage points month on month.