In July this year, the purchasing managers' index (PMI) of the steel sector in China’s Hebei Province increased to 50.0 percent, up 8.8 percentage points month on month, as announced by the Hebei Province Metallurgical Industry Association.
In July of the current year, the overall new order index for Hebei Province's steel sector stood at 55.3 percent, up 17.1 percentage points compared to the previous month. Meanwhile, the new export order index for the sector was at 38.9 percent, decreasing by 7.3 percentage points month on month. In the given month, the production index for Hebei Province’s steel sector was at 51.2 percent, rising by 12.3 percentage points month on month. In July, the inventory index for finished steel in Hebei Province decreased to 36.8 percent, down 11.7 percentage points month on month. In addition, the raw material inventory index in Hebei Province rose to 46.3 percent, up 7.8 percentage points month on month.