Brasília – The Brazilian industry is more optimistic concerning exports, according to the Industrial Survey, published today (26th) by the National Confederation of Industries (CNI). The sector’s expectation regarding the foreign sales volume has increased from 53.5 points in February to 54.6 in March.
The most optimistic sectors are beverages and wood, which have gone from 45 to 60.7 points and from 38.4 to 55.6 points, respectively, from February to March. The expectation for the alcohol sector, however, has dropped significantly, from 43.8 down to 33.3 points. Os dados variam de zero a 100.
According to CNI economist Marcelo Souza Azevedo, the question about the amount exported was asked for the first time in the survey, therefore it is still early to assess the reduced expectations. To him, other surveys must be conducted before an assessment can be made.
Azevedo explained that the survey as a whole indicates that companies are recovering their foreign demand. “It focuses on the amount exported, therefore it discards the influences of exchange rates and prices.”
The survey also shows that the industry may continue to grow without putting pressure on installed capacity or on prices, said Azevedo.
The use of installed capacity in February was lower than usual for the month. The indicator stood at 48.9 points, nearly the same as in January (48.3 points).
Industrial output rose from 49.2 points in January to 50.8 points in February. The CNI’s survey also shows that industry inventories totalled 48.5 points in February. The punctuation is lower than planned by the sector businessmen.
The Industrial Survey was conducted among 1,234 companies – 679 small ones, 363 average ones, and 192 large ones – from March 1st to 22nd.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
