Brasília – Brazilian economic activity declined for the second consecutive month in a row, according to figures from the Central Bank’s Economic Activity Index (IBC-Br), published this Monday (16th).
The seasonality-free index (adjusted for the period) declined by 0.23% in February as against January. In the second month of the year, the IBC-Br reached 140.2 points. The figure is 0.07% lower than in the same month of 2011. In the first two months of the year, compared with the same period of last year, the seasonality-free index increased by 0.3% and by 2.05% over a 21-month period.
The seasonality-free figures show that the IBC-Br increased by 1.15%, in the first two months and by 1.91%, in the 12-month period ended February.
The IBC-Br is a tool for assessing and anticipating how Brazilian economic activity evolves. The index comprises information on the level of activity of the three sectors of the economy: industry, trade and services, and agriculture.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
