Steel demand weakens in Feb, likely to rebound in Mar

SHANGHAI, Feb 28 (SMM) – China’s steel purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for February stood at 34.08, according to SMM survey. This is down by 13.9 from January and by 21.94 from February last year.

While the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday and inclement weather affected steel production significantly this month, demand is likely to pick up in March.

Seasonally adjusted, the steel PMI was 38.41, down 11.98 from January and 21.53 from February 2017.

The composite index registered levels below 50 both before and after seasonal adjustments due to the low season for steel. The month-on-month drop is attributed to the CNY holiday. This year’s later-than-usual CNY also accounted for the significant decline year on year.

The production sub-index stood at 20.17 in February, down 25.68 from January and down 37.19 from last year because of the off season and CNY. The new order sub-index was 31.91, down 14.11 on the month and 29.62 from February 2017.

For more detailed steel PMI findings, please refer to SMM’s China Steel PMI Monthly report.

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