In August this year, the purchasing managers' index (PMI) of the steel sector in China’s Hebei Province increased to 50.2 percent, up 0.2 percentage points month on month, as announced by the Hebei Province Metallurgical Industry Association.
In August of the current year, the overall new order index for Hebei Province’s steel sector stood at 52.8 percent, down 2.5 percentage points compared to the previous month. Meanwhile, the new export order index for the sector was at 45.5 percent, increasing by 6.6 percentage points month on month. In the given month, the production index for Hebei Province’s steel sector was at 51.3 percent, rising by 0.1 percentage point month on month. In August, the inventory index for finished steel in Hebei Province decreased to 34.7 percent, down 2.1 percentage points month on month. In addition, the raw material inventory index in Hebei Province rose to 52.6 percent, up 6.3 percentage points month on month.