São Paulo – The Brazilian trade balance registered a surplus of USD 997 million last week in the four business days from September 5 to 11. According to data released this Monday (12) by the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services (MDIC), last week exports totaled USD 3.458 billion with an daily average of USD 864.6 million, or 15.5% above the first week’s exports.
Imports reached the daily average of USD 615.3 million in the period, an increase of 22% over the first week. In all, imports totaled USD 2.461 billion in September’s second week.
According to the MDIC, in the month exports have been registering a daily average of USD 826 million, up 7.4% over the performance in September of last year. In the month, the three categories of products improved performance in comparison to September 2015.
Among basic goods, the increase up until the second week was 5%, driven especially by revenues from copper ore, crude oil, pork, poultry, beef and coffee beans. Among semi-finished products, exports were up 31.7% due to revenue increase with raw sugar, sawn timber, butter, fat and oil, cocoa, wood pulp and hides and skins.
Among finished products, sales increased 1.5%, driven especially by shipments of fuel oils, cargo vehicles, passenger vehicles, flexible iron or steel hoses, iron and steel rolled products and refined sugar.
Meanwhile, imports registered a daily average of USD 578.4 million in the month, a decline of 8% in comparison to September of last year. Purchases declined especially with fuel and lubricants, organic and inorganic fertilizers, steel products, and mechanical and pharmaceutical equipment.
Year-to-date, exports also exceed imports. Until the second week of September, exports totaled USD 128.527 billion, with imports at USD 94.669 billion. The surplus in the period is of USD 33.858 billion.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani