São Paulo – In the second week of December, Brazilian exports drove the balance of trade into a surplus, reversing the deficit seen in the early days of December. The trade balance result went from a US$ 463 million deficit in the first week of the month to a US$ 811 million surplus in the second week, according to figures released this Monday (17th) by the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade. So far in December, exports reached US$ 10.259 billion, at a daily average of US$ 1.025 billion, up 2% from December 2011.
Compared with the same period in 2011, there was a 23% increase in semi-manufactured goods exports, especially raw sugar, gold, skins and hides, and wood pulp. Exports of manufactured goods were up 2.3%, the highlight products being pumps and compressors, ethanol, fuel oil, chassis and engines, and auto parts. Basic goods exports were down 3.6%, driven mostly by a decline in soybean, iron ore and coffee sales.
Imports were also up in December. According to the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Brazil imported the equivalent of US$ 9.448 billion, which results in a daily average of US$ 944.8 million, up 13.4% from December 2011, when the daily average was US$ 833 million.
The products whose imports increased the most using that same basis of comparison were copper and copper works (up 95.7%), pharmaceuticals (up 59.7%), fertilizers (43%), aircraft (42.7%), optical and precision instruments (34.3%), mechanical equipment (19.8%) and plastics and plastic works (19.8%).
In comparison with November, exports were up 0.2% and imports were down 8.5%. Although the trade balance showed a surplus in the first two weeks of December, it performed worse than in 2011. The US$ 81.1 million average daily surplus in the first two weeks of December is 53.1% lower than the US$ 172.8 million average surplus recorded in December 2011.
Year-to-date, Brazil has a combined surplus of US$ 18 billion, at US$ 233 billion exported and US$ 215 billion imported as of the second week of December.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
