Brasilia – In 2013 there were more dollars leaving Brazil than coming in. The country’s foreign exchange balance was negative at US$ 12.261 billion. In 2012, there was a positive surplus at US$ 16.753 billion. The information was released this Wednesday (08) by the Brazilian Central Bank (BC).
Since 2008 (US$ 983 million), start of the international financial crisis, the country had not registered a negative result. And last year’s result is the worst since 2002 (US$ 12.989 billion), a tense year for Brazilian economy.
Last year, the financial foreign exchange flow (investments in bonds, profits and dividends sent abroad and direct foreign investments, among other transactions) was responsible for the negative result, where the segment registered a deficit of US$ 23.396 billion, against the positive result of US$ 8.380 billion in 2012.
The commercial foreign exchange flow (foreign currency transactions related to exports and imports), in turn, gave a positive result of US$ 11.136 billion, against a surplus of US$ 8.373 billion in 2012.
In December, the foreign exchange flow had a negative result of US$ 8.78 billion, the highest monthly negative result since September 1998 (US$ 18.919 billion). In December 2012, the result was negative at US$ 6.755 billion. Last month, the financial foreign exchange flow was negative at US$ 6.898 billion. The commercial flow also registered a deficit, of US$ 1.881 billion.
In the first two working days of the year, the foreign exchange flow was still negative, registering US$ 480 million. The financial (US$ 246 million) and commercial (US$ 234 million) foreign exchange flows were negative on January 2 and 3.
The BC also informed that banks closed 2013 with a US$ 18.124 billion foreign exchange position, indicating the dollar exchange rate is expected to fall.
*Translated by Silvia Lindsey
