São Paulo – Brazil posted a USD 1.769 billion trade surplus in the third week of April, the result of USD 4.320 billion in exports and USD 2.551 billion in imports, the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services reported this Monday (24) afternoon.
In the first three weeks of April combined, the surplus reached USD 5.189 billion, with exports fetching USD 13.078 billion and imports amounting to USD 7.889 billion. Year-to-date through the third week of April, exports stood at USD 63.540 billion and imports reached USD 43.394 billion, leading to a USD 19.606 billion surplus.
In the third week of April, which had four business days, exports averaged at USD 1.080 billion a day, up 11% from the average in the second week of the month.
According to the Ministry, basic goods exports were up 13.4%, driven by crude oil, iron ore, soy bran, poultry, livestock and coffee beans. Finished goods exports climbed 11.9%, fueled by aircraft, automobiles, flexible iron or steel pipes, fuel oils, aircraft engines and turbines, and refined sugar.
Semi-finished goods exports saw a slight increment at 0.4%. Top-selling items were semi-finished iron/steel products, raw aluminum, ferroalloys, wood pulp and copper cathodes.
Imports increased by 7.5% in week three from week two, to an average of USD 637,800 million per business day. Spending increased on electric and electronic equipment, automobiles and their parts, organic and inorganic chemicals, optics and precision instruments, and steel instruments.
Month-to-date through the third week of April, exports averaged at USD 1.006 billion a day, up 30.9% from the comparable period in 2016. Foreign sales widened across the board. Daily average imports were up 15.5% to USD 606.8 million per business day.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum