Brasília – The trade balance began February with a negative result, informed today (8th) the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade. The deficit was US$ 172 million in the five working days of the period. Exports totalled US$ 2.928 billion and imports reached US$ 3.1 billion.
From January to the first week of February this year, the balance is also negative, US$ 338 million, with exports of US$ 14.233 billion and imports of US$ 14.571 billion. In the same period in 2009 there was also a deficit, though much smaller: US$ 58 million.
The commercial deficit is the result of imports, stimulated by the depreciation of the dollar against the Brazilian real.
However, the forecast of analysts in the financial sector is that the trade balance should end the year with a surplus of US$ 10 billion. In 2009, the surplus was US$ 25.348 billion.
*Translated by Mark Ament
