São Paulo – The trade balance of December’s third week recorded a deficit of US$ 1.339 billion. According to data released this Monday (22) by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC), exports reached US$ 4.131 billion and imports, US$ 5.47 billion. The Brazilian trade balance became negative in the cumulative period of the month. The US$ 778 million surplus of the first two weeks turned to a US$ 561 million deficit with last week’s results.
According to the Ministry’s data, in the first three weeks Brazil exported the amount of US$ 12.719 billion, or US$ 847.0 billion as daily average. In comparison to last year’s December average, there was a drop of 14.6%. On the other hand, the country imported US$ 13.28 billion, or US$ 885.3 million per day, an amount 2.2% bigger than the one recorded as daily average in last year’s December.
All three products’ categories had a drop. Among manufactured goods, the reduction was of 20.8% because of fewer shipments of fuel oils, autos, motors and generators, freight vehicles, aircrafts and vehicle’s motors. Among the semi manufactured, the reduction settled in 11.2%, with the drop coming in sales of raw aluminum, crude soybean oil, ferro-alloys, cellulose, raw sugar and semi manufactured gold.
Among commodities, the month’s reduction set in 10.1%, because of the export performances of iron ore, soy grain, copper ore and beef.
Inversely, MDIC says that there was a growth of 31.3% in purchases of fuel and lubricants, 8.3% in plastic and other materials, 7.4% of organic and inorganic chemicals, 7.4% of pharmaceuticals, 5% of precision and optical equipment, and 4.7% in electronics.
In the year, the trade balance recorded negative in US$ 4.784 billion. Until the third week of December 2013, the balance registered a surplus of US$ 851 million.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
