The Brazilian trade balance registered a surplus in the second week of May, according to the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Services.
Article continues below
In the five business days from May 9 to 15, there was $4.370 billion in exports and $2.622 billion in imports, with a resulting surplus of $1.747 billion.
According to the ministry, in the month’s second week, $873.9 million was exported per business day, an increase of 9.8% over the performance of the first week. In the period, exports of basic goods and finished products increased, with semi-finished products tumbling.
Among basic goods, there was an increase of 1.1% over the performance of the first week, with a daily average of $436.4 million exported. The products that saw an increase in shipments were soy beans, crude oil, iron ore, poultry, coffee beans and raw cotton.
Among finished products, the growth measured was of 23.1%, with a daily average of $321.7 million, with an increase in shipments of aircraft, passenger cars, flexible iron/steel pipes and aluminum oxides and hydroxides.
Shipments of finished products slid 19% over the first week to $100.9 million per day on average. They were impacted by slower sales of semi-finished steel and iron products, semi-finished gold products and ferro-alloys.
In the month’s second week, imports declined 4.5% in comparison to the first week to a daily average of $524.5 million. In the period, products that saw weaker purchases were electronics devices, organic and inorganic chemicals, organic and chemical fertilizers, plastics and by-products and pharmaceutical products.
In the month, exports totaled $8.349 billion, with a daily average of $834.9 million. This total is 0.4% less than the performance registered in May of last year. In this comparison, exports of basic goods tumbled 3.3%. Meanwhile, finished products increased 0.4% and semi-finished products went up 13.2%.
Imports also declined in the month. Up until the second week, imports totaled $536.8 million, 23.4% less than May 2015, due especially to lower spending on steel products, fuels and lubricants, mechanical equipment, pharmaceuticals and electronics.
Year-to-date, the Brazilian trade balance shows exports at $64.290 billion and imports at $48.066 billion. The surplus up until the second week of May is $16.224 billion. In the same period of last year, the trade balance had a deficit of $3.407 billion. ■