Brasília – The Brazilian trade surplus, i.e. exports minus imports, was US$ 935 million in the first week this month, according to the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade. During the period, exports totalled US$ 3.274 billion and imports, US$ 2.339 billion.
From January until the first week of August, the trade surplus was US$ 17.848 billion, a figure 22.4% higher than recorded in the same period of 2008 (US$ 14.587 billion). During that period, exports totalled US$ 87.369 billion and imports, US$ 69.521 billion.
On August 3, the Foreign Trade secretary of the ministry, Welber Barral, asid that the trade surplus in the second half of 2009 may be lower than in the same period last year. The reasons are the depreciation of the dollar over the last few months and the bursting of the bubble that raised the price of agricultural goods and minerals. In July, the trade surplus totalled US$ 2.928 billion, a figure 12% lower than recorded in the same period last year (US$ 3.329 billion).
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
