São Paulo – In the second week of September, the Brazilian trade balance posted a surplus of US$ 57 million. According to data released this Monday (15th) by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC), between the 8th and 14th this month Brazil exported US$ 4.386 billion worth of products and imported US$ 4.329 billion.
Brazilian exports averaged at US$ 877.2 million per day, up 1.2% from the first week, while imports averaged at US$ 865.8 million, down 15.2% from the first week of the month.
According to the MDIC, the increase in sales in the second week from the first was driven by the growth in exports of basic products. Sales of crude oil, iron ore, soy beans and maize were up. Exports of semi-manufactured goods decreased due to lower sales of semi-manufactured iron and steel, leathers and hides, wood pulp and ferroalloys. Basic goods sales were also lower in the second week than in the first week due to a contraction in sales of autos, auto parts and auto engines.
Imports were down for fuel and lubricants, mechanical equipment, autos and auto parts and steel products.
As per September’s partial trade balance results, in the first ten working days of the month, US$ 8.722 billion worth of products were exported, averaging at US$ 872.2 million per day. In the first two weeks of September, total exports were down 12.2% from the same period of last year. Exports decreased across all three product categories in the first two weeks of September this year from the first two weeks of September 2013. Basic goods exports were down 11.5%, semi-manufactured goods exports were down 18.7% and manufactured goods exports were down 12.4%.
Higher imports
As regards imports, the situation is reversed. In the 10 working days through September 14th, Brazil imported the equivalent of US$ 9.436 billion, averaging at US$ 943.6 million per day, up 5.1% from the first two weeks of September last year. Purchases of fuel and lubricants, pharmaceutical products, steel products and plastic and plastic products were up. Month-to-date in September, Brazil’s trade balance ran a US$ 714 million deficit.
Year-to-date, exports amounted to US$ 162.740 billion and imports, to US$ 163.207 billion. In the 176 working days of the year, the trade deficit ran at US$ 467 million. In the same period of last year, the deficit stood at US$ 2.836 billion.
*Translated by Rodrigo Mendonça
