São Paulo – Brazil registered a USD 1.162 billion trade surplus in the first week of February, according to data from the Foreign Trade Secretariat (Secex) of the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade. The surplus came as a result of USD 3.60 billion in exports and USD 2.44 billion in imports. Exports climbed and imports fell, based on daily average numbers.
Exports averaged USD 720.8 million a day, up 7.3% from February 2015. Semi-finished goods sales soared 44.7%, driven by raw sugar, semi-finished gold, copper cathodes, wood pulp, sawed wood, raw aluminum, leathers and hides and ferroalloys.
Finished goods exports also went up, by 10.6%, highlighting flexible iron and steel pipes, ethanol, non-frozen orange juice, automobiles, plastic polymers, flat-rolled steel, refined sugar, pharmaceuticals, pumps and compressors and cargo vehicles.
Basic goods exports dropped 7.9% as a result of reduced sales of soybean, iron ore, crude oil, soya brand, coffee bean, tobacco leaves and poultry. In February from January, exports rose 28.2%, with sales going up in all three categories.
Imports slid 41.1% in the first week of February from a year ago, averaging USD 448.4 million a day, highlighting vehicles, automobiles and auto parts, iron and steel products, fuels and lubrcants, plastic products and electronics. In February from January, imports also slid, by 5.4%.
Year-to-date through the first week of February, exports reached USD 14.8 billion and imports reached USD 12.7 billion, resulting in a USD 2.08 billion trade surplus.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum