Demand for Steel Declined in Jan due to CNY Holiday

SHANGHAI, Jan 30 (SMM) - The composite PMI for January 2023 stood at 46.03, up 1.71 points on the month and 0.46 point on the year. The seasonally-adjusted composite index stood at 49.94, an increase of 3.39 points MoM and 0.42 point YoY.

On the whole, the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday had a greater impact on the production of downstream players. At the end of the month, the production in the machinery, automobile and other industries quickly resumed from the holiday, and about 80% of employees have returned to work. The construction and transport infrastructure industries are expected to fully resume after the Lantern Festival. The new orders fell further from the previous month. The index for production stood at 42.26 in the month, up 3.91 points month-on-month and up 0.82 point year-on-year. The new order index came in at 48.79, up 2.11 points MoM and 2.08 points YoY.