BEIJING, May 9 (Xinhua) -- China's bulk commodity market grew steadily in April with stable expansion in supply and sales, industrial data has showed.

The China Bulk Merchandise Index (CBMI), a gauge of domestic bulk commodity market growth, stood at 104.8 percent in April, up by 1.7 percentage points compared with March, according to the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing earlier this month.

This marked the second consecutive month of CBMI growth, pointing to an improving business environment in the bulk commodity sector.

Both the sub-indices for bulk commodity supply and sales expanded compared with the previous month.

The sub-index for stocks dropped in April thanks to stronger sales after it kept rising for 14 months in a row.