São Paulo – The Brazilian trade balance registered a surplus of USD 144 million in the first week of November, according to data released this Monday (9th) by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (Mdic). The number is the result of USD 2.99 billion in exports and USD 2.85 billion in imports.
However, the surplus was not the caused by an increase in exports but because external sales dropped less than imports. By daily average, exports dropped 4.2% to USD 749.5 million last week over November 2014, while imports dropped 21.1% with USD 713.4 million.
Exports declined last week due to the drop in sales of basic goods and semi-finished products. With basic goods, there was a decline of 5.6% in trade, due mainly to soy meal, crude oil, iron ore, tobacco leaves, raw cotton, coffee beans and poultry.
Among the semi-finished products that had a drop in sales were iron and steel products, ferro-alloy, sawn or chipped wood, hides and skins, wood pulp and crude soya bean oil. However, exports of finished products increased 0.1%, with more shipments of ethanol, auto engine and autos. The comparison is with November of last year.
Year-to-date up to the first week of November, exports total USD 163.5 billion, and imports USD 151.1 billion. Surplus is at USD 12.3 billion. The daily average of exports stands at USD 771.4 billion, 15.1% less than the same period of last year, with imports standing at USD 713 million, 22.6% less in the same comparison.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
