São Paulo – Brazil’s trade balance has begun December on a US$ 398 million surplus, as per data concerning the 1st to the 7th of the month released this Monday (8th) by the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade. In the five business days during the period, exports from Brazil amounted to US$ 4.468 billion, or US$ 893.6 million per day, down 10% from the comparable year-ago period based on daily average figures.
Exports declined for finished and semi-finished goods, but went up for basic goods. According to the ministry, finished goods sales were down 20.8%, mostly due to lower sales of engines and generators, automobiles, cargo vehicles, aircraft, shoes, engines with chassis and pumps and compressors.
Semi-finished goods exports were down 9.3% due to a decline in sales of semi-finished gold, cast iron, semi-finished iron and steel, and sugar. Basic goods exports were up 0.2%, driven by soybean, raw cotton, coffee bean, maize, copper ore, tobacco leaves, oil, beef and poultry.
Imports also declined to US$ 4.070 billion, or US$ 814 million on average per day, down 6.1% from December 2013. Products whose imports have dropped the most include fuels and lubricants, down 47.2%, mechanical equipment, down 20.7%, cereals and milling products, down 4.4%, rubber and rubber products, down 3.2%, and autos and auto parts, down 2%.
Year-to-date, exports have grossed US$ 212.078 billion, averaging US$ 898.6 million a day, down 5.5% from the comparable year-ago period. Imports have also declined year-to-date through the first week of December. Brazil has imported US$ 215.903 billion worth of products, down 4% from the comparable period in 2013 based on daily averages. The country’s trade deficit stands at US$ 3.825 billion. In the comparable period of 2013, the deficit was US$ 540 million.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
