São Paulo – Brazil ran a USD 441 million trade surplus last week, as a result of de USD 4.027 billion in exports and USD 3.586 billion in imports. The numbers were made public this Monday (27) by the (Brazilian Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services).
Month-to-date, exports came out to USD 16.223 billion, with imports reaching USD 13.093 billion and leading to a USD 3.129 billion surplus. The year-to-date surplus was USD 37.165 billion, with USD 152.682 billion in exports and USD 115.517 billion in imports.
Exports averaged at USD 805.4 million a day in the fourth week of August, down 14.2% from the average from the first three weeks, driven by a 24.2% drop in basic goods exports, especially crude oil, soy, copper ore, poultry, beef and pork, tobacco leaves and soya bran; an 18.6% drop in semi-finished goods exports, mainly wood pulp, raw sugar, timber, raw zinc and raw tin; and a 0.2% drop in finished goods exports, with sales sliding for heaters, dryers and their parts, flat-rolled iron/steel, ethanol, automobiles, and earthmoving machinery and devices.
Imports averaged at USD 717.2 million per working day last week, down 1.9% from the three prior weeks, with purchases easing for organic and inorganic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electric and electronic equipment, mechanical equipment, fuels and lubricants.
Month-to-date
Year-on-year in August, average daily exports were up 6.5% to USD 901.3 million, with a 14.7% hike in finished goods sales and a 12.8% hike in basic goods sales.
Semi-finished goods exports slid 24.6%, with sales slowing for semi-finished iron and steel products, ferroalloys, leather and hides and raw zinc.
In August from July, foreign sales were down 13.3%, driven by a decline of 25.4% in basic goods sales and a 16.3% drop in semi-finished goods sales. Finished goods exports slid 9.7%.
Imports averaged USD 727.4 million in the first four weeks of August, up 20.5% from a year ago. Imports were up 48.9% for fuels and lubricants, 37.5% for automobiles and their parts, 28.6% for organic and inorganic chemicals, 20.3% for fertilizers and 13.7% for mechanical equipment.
In August from July, imports dropped 14.2%, with beverages and alcohol down 25.5%, cereals and milling industry products down 8.6%, pharmaceuticals down 6.9%, iron and steel down 6.1% and mechanical equipment down 4.9%.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
