São Paulo – Brazil posted a USD 2.224 billion trade surplus in the first two weeks of June, the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services reported this Monday (12). In the month’s seven business days, exports amounted to USD 6.411 billion, with imports clocking in at USD 4.187 billion.
Year-to-date through the second week of June, exports amounted to USD 94.337 billion and imports stood at USD 63.089 billion, leading to a USD 31.248 billion trade surplus.
Exports averaged USD 915.9 million per business day in June, up 20.4% from a USD 760.8 million a year ago.
The Ministry said average foreign sales per day increased across the board, with increases of 37.7% for semi-finished goods, driven by raw sugar, wood pulp, semi-finished iron and steel products, semi-finished gold and raw soya oil; basic goods exports were up 17.7% on the back of crude oil, soy, iron ore, copper ore, and beef; and finished goods exports climbed 16.8%, fueled by flexible iron and steel pipes, automobiles, cargo vehicles, refined sugar and plastic polymers.
Imports averaged USD 598.2 million a day, up 3.1% from USD 580.4 million in the first two weeks of June 2016. Highlights included a 178.1% increase in beverage and alcohol imports, a 66.9% increase in fuel and lubricant imports, a 50.1% increase in fertilizers, a 45.9% increment in steel product imports and a 9.5% hike in customer electronics imports.
In June from May, exports were up 1.8%, while imports climbed by 8.5%.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
