São Paulo – Brazil posted a USD 1.682 billion trade surplus in the third week of August, the result of USD 5.389 billion in exports and USD 3.707 billion in imports. Month-to-date, exports reached USD 12.234 billion, with imports amounting to USD 9.481 billion and leading to a USD 2.753 billion surplus. Year-to-date, exports came out to USD 148.694 billion, with imports reaching USD 111.905 billion and a USD 36.789 billion surplus.
Exports averaged USD 1.078 billion a day in the third week of the month, up 26% from the average of the first two weeks, with sales going up in all product categories. Finished goods exports climbed 33.4%, driven by aircraft, heaters, driers and their parts, cargo vehicles, aluminum oxides and hydroxides, vehicle engines and flexible iron and steel pipes. Basic goods exports were up 25.8% on the back of crude oil, soybeans, coffee, copper ore, and precious metal ash and residue. Semi-finished goods exports were up 1%, especially wood pulp, ferroalloys, leather, wood chips, raw tin, and copper cathodes.
Average daily imports were up 2.7% in week three from weeks one and two in August, driven by increased spending on aircraft and their parts, fuel and lubricants, automobiles and their parts, cereals and milling industry products, and organic and inorganic chemicals.
August
Month-to-date through week three of August, average daily exports were up 11.2% year-on-year to USD 941.1 million, thanks to a 21.8% increase in foreign sales of basic goods including soy, crude oil, beef, soya bran and iron ore; and to a 14.7% hike in finished goods expor4ts, especially heaters, driers and their parts, aircraft engines/turbines and their parts, aircraft and fuel oil. Semi-finished goods exports slid 20.5%, driven by raw sugar, semi-finished iron and steel products, ferroalloys, leather, and semi-finished gold products.
Imports to Brazil averaged USD 729.3 million a day in the first three weeks of August, up 20.9% year-on-year. Spending was up 50.9% on fuels and lubricants, 39.8% on automobiles and their parts, 36.1% on organic and inorganic chemicals, 15.4% on mechanical equipment, and 7.4% on customer electronics.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
