São Paulo – In the second week of February, the Brazil registered a trade surplus again, similar to the first week. The Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade reported this Monday that in last week’s three business days, the country ran a USD 131 billion surplus, with exports at USD 1.97 billion and imports at USD 1.84 billion.
From January through the second week of February, a USD 2.2 billion surplus was recorded. In the comparable year-ago period, there was a USD 4.3 billion deficit. So far this year, exports grossed USD 16.8 billion, with imports amounting to USD 14.6 billion.
Last week, average daily exports were up 3.8% from a year ago to USD 697.5 million. Semi-finished goods exports climbed 17.1%, fueled by sales of raw sugar, copper cathodes, sawed wood, raw aluminum, wood pulp, semi-finished gold, and leathers and hides.
Finished goods exports were up 11.2%, driven by sales of flexible iron and steel pipes, ethanol, non-frozen orange juice, plastic polymers, automobiles, cargo vehicles, flat-rolled steel, refined sugar, pneumatics, pumps and compressors. Basic goods exports dropped 7.1%, with declining sales of iron ore, crude oil, soybeans, soya bran, coffee beans, tobacco leaves and poultry.
Imports averaged USD 535.9 million a day last week, down 35.4% from February 2015, the Ministry reported. This came as a result of a decline in purchases of iron and steel products, autos and auto parts, fuels and lubricants, electronics, plastics and plastic products.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum