Rio de Janeiro – Production of capital goods rose 1.6% from January to February this year, and was the only industrial sector to present a positive result in the period. Durable, semi- and non-durable consumer goods and semi-manufactured goods presented reductions in production. Capital goods include machinery and equipment used in the industrial, agricultural, transport, energy and civil construction productive chain.
The growth of production of this kind of good may symbolise greater disposition of businessmen to invest, either to increase production or to modernize their companies. “This may represent a good sign [in the face of the negative industrial result, which dropped 2.5% from January to February],” said the coordinator of the Monthly industrial Research of the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics (IBGE), André Macedo.
Capital goods have grown 10.9% in the first months of the year as against the end of last year. In comparison with the first two months of 2012, the growth is 13.3%. The sector had presented retraction in the four quarters of 2012, in this kind of comparison.
*Translated by Mark Ament
