Still concerning the seasonally-adjusted series, the evolution of the quarterly moving average index for the overall industry pointed to a decline of 0.8% in the quarter ended in February 2015 against the level of the previous month, after also dropping in November (-0.5%), December (-0.9%) and January (-0.9%). In regional terms, seven places registered negative rates and the steepest declines were reported in: Bahia (-7.5%), Rio de Janeiro (-2.5%), the Northeast Region (-1.9%), Rio Grande do Sul (-1.6%) and Paraná (-1.6%). Conversely, Pernambuco (1.6%) and Amazonas (1.1%) posted the main advances in February 2015.

Output declines in 12 of 15 places surveyed in relation to February 2014

Compared with the same month a year ago, the industrial sector reduced 9.1% in February 2015, a drop followed by 12 out of the 15 places surveyed. It is worth mentioning that February 2015 (18 days) had less two working days than the same month in the previous year (20). In February, the most intense declines were registered in Bahia (-23.2%) and Amazonas (-18.9%), pressed, at a large extent, by the declines in the sectors of coke, petroleum products and biofuels (diesel oil, fuel oil, naphtha for the petrochemical industry, motor gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas), in the former place; and of computer equipment, electronic and optical products (TV sets), in the latter. Paraná (-15.0%), Rio Grande do Sul (-13.7%), Rio de Janeiro (-11.8%), the Northeast Region (-11.1%) and Minas Gerais (-10.6%) also recorded two-digit negative rates, while Santa Catarina and Ceará (both with - 9.5%) were the other places that posted sharper declines than the national average (-9.1%).

Other negative figures were registered in São Paulo (-8.5%), the most diversified industrial park in Brazil, Goiás (-4.4%) and Mato Grosso (-1.5%). On the other hand, Espírito Santo (25.6%) recorded the most intense advance in February, leveraged, at a large extent, by the positive behavior coming from the mining and quarrying sectors (pelletized iron ore and crude petroleum oil) and basic metals (hot-rolled steel carbon coils, steel carbon ingots, blocks, rods or plates and drawn iron and steel flexible tubes). The other positive figures were registered in Pará (9.4%) and Pernambuco (2.3%).

In the year, 11 of 15 places report cumulative declines in output

In the cumulative indicator in the year, against the same period last year, the reduced overall production reached 11 out of the 15 places surveyed, seven of them declining more than the industry average (-7.1%): Bahia (-17.5%), Amazonas (-15.5%), Paraná (-13.2%), Rio Grande do Sul (-12.2%), the Northeast Region (-8.3%), Santa Catarina (-8.2%) and Ceará (-7.7%). The following places also recorded cumulative negative figures in the year: Minais Gerais (-7.1%), Rio de Janeiro (-7.0%), São Paulo (-7.0%) and Goiás (-4.4%).

In these places, the lower dynamism was influenced by factors related to the reduced manufacturing of capital goods (especially those oriented to transportation equipment - tractor trucks for trailers and semi-trailers, trucks and vehicles for transportation of goods), intermediate goods (car pieces, petroleum products, textiles, steel products, fabricated metal products, basic petrochemicals, thermoplastic resins and pesticides), durable consumer goods (cars, white and brown goods, motorcycles and furniture) and semi and non-durable consumer goods (medicines, textiles, wearing apparel, beverages, food and motor gasoline). Conversely, Espírito Santo (21.7%) and Pará (8.2%) posted the highest expansions, leveraged, at a large extent, by the mining and quarrying sector. Pernambuco (2.8%) and Mato Grosso (1.8%) also reported positive rates in the cumulative index of the year.

The reduced pace of production was also evident when comparing the last quarter of 2014 with the first two months of 2015 - both comparisons with the same period in the previous year -, in which 11 out of the 15 places surveyed lost dynamism, following the movement of the overall index, which changed from -4.2% in the fourth quarter last year to -7.1% in the cumulative index in the first two months of 2015.

In this same comparison, Bahia (from 1.7% to -17.5%), Paraná (from -4.2% to -13.2%), the Northeast Region (from 0.1% to -8.3%), Rio Grande do Sul (from -3.9% to -12.2%) and Goiás (from 2.2% to -4.4%) registered the highest reductions, whereas Espírito Santo (from 12.1% to 21.7%) and Pernambuco (from -5.6% to 2.8%) recorded the highest rises between the two periods.

In 12 months, 11 of 15 places surveyed post cumulative declines

By declining 4.5% in February 2015, the cumulative indicator in the last 12 months maintained the downward trend started in March 2014 (2.0%) and recorded the most significant negative figure since January 2010 (-4.8%). In regional terms, 11 out of the 15 places surveyed posted negative rates in February 2015 and 13 registered lower dynamism against the index of last January.

The main losses between January and February were reported in Amazonas (from -5.6% to -8.6%), Paraná (from -6.5% to -8.3%), Bahia (from -3.2% to -4.9%), Minas Gerais (from -3.1% to -4.6%), Rio Grande do Sul (from -5.3% to -6.7%), the Northeast Region (from -0.4% to -1.6%) and Ceará (from -3.0% to -4.2%), whereas Espírito Santo (from 7.3% to 10.0%) recorded the highest advance between the two periods.