In February this year, the purchasing managers' index (PMI) of the steel sector in China’s Hebei Province decreased to 45.0 percent, down 2.8 percentage points month on month, as announced by the Hebei Province Metallurgical Industry Association on March 1.
In February of the current year, the overall new order index for Hebei Province's steel sector stood at 52.4 percent, remaining stable compared to the previous month. Meanwhile, the new export order index for the sector was at 43.8 percent, down 9.8 percentage points month on month. In the given month, the production index for Hebei Province's steel sector was at 41.9 percent, down 8.1 percentage points month on month. In February, the inventory index for finished steel in Hebei Province increased to 50.0 percent, up 10.0 percentage points month on month. In addition, the raw material inventory index in Hebei Province decreased to 38.4 percent, down 15.2 percentage points month on month.