Brasília – The confidence of Brazilian industrialists dropped to the lowest level of the year in June, at 56.1 points. The indicator was 1.8 point below the 57.9 points scored in May. The Industrial Businessman Confidence Index survey (Icei, in the Portuguese acronym) was issued this Wednesday (20th) by the National Confederation of Industry (CNI).
In spite of the decline in the index this month, the businessmen remain confident, because the Icei ranges from 0 to 100 points and scores higher than 50 indicate optimism.
To the CNI, businessman confidence dropped due to the external crisis and the slowing down of domestic demand. CNI technicians consider that the industry is experiencing a stagnant scenario, and that businessmen are frustrated, as the situation has not shown improve.
The decline in confidence was strongest in large businesses, whose Icei stood at 56.8 points in July, as against 59.4 points in May, a 2.6 point variation. The index dropped from 57.3 to 55.7 points for medium-sized businesses, down 1.6, and from 55.5 to 54.9 points for small businesses, down 0.6 point.
According to the CNI, optimism levels are lower across virtually all of the processing industry, with declines in Icei recorded in 21 out of 28 sectors surveyed. Confidence has increased only in the extraction industry, whose index went from 59.3 points in May to 60.8 points in June.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
