The increase of production between December and January was based on the expansion of 14 among the 27 subsectors surveyed, and it reached three of the four categories of use. Among the growing industries, the most important performances to the overall rate came from metal products (12.0%), electronic material and communication equipment (14.3%) and beverages (8.1%). It is also worth mentioning the increase recorded by food products (1.4%), mining and quarrying industry (2.7%), metallurgy (2.5%), electric machines appliances and material (4.%) and other chemical products (1.8%). Among the activities which faced production decrease, from December to January, the highlights were: editing and printing (-5.0%), automotive vehicles (-1.2%) and pharmaceutical articles (-2.2%).

Also compared to December 2009, in the analysis by category of use, the indexes were positive for durable consumer goods (8.6%), intermediate goods (2.0%) and semi-durable and non-durable consumer goods (0.4%), whereas the production of capital goods (-0.1%) was practically stable, after having increased 29.0% in the nine previous months. Expansion by 8.6% observed in the production of durable consumer goods led to the recovery of most of the 10.1% of the accumulated decrease between November and December.  Intermediate goods increased by 2.0%, and have kept a sequence of positive rates for the thirteenth month, having accumulated, in the period, gain of 22.5%. The 0.4% rise observed in semi-durable and non-durable goods has occurred after this segment had recorded 0.7% (previous month).

The quarterly moving average index, after increasing 1.9% in October and presenting more moderate increase in the two following months (1.3% in November and 0.6% in December), was stable in January 2010 (0.0%) and interrupted a sequence of positive results which had been occurring since March 2009. Among the categories of use, capital goods (2.0%) and intermediate goods (1.7%) had the major increments and remained on an upward trend. The subsector of semi-durable and non-durable consumer goods, with slight increase (0.2%) has kept a sequence of positive rates since last September. The subsector of durable goods (-0,8%) had its second consecutive negative result, after having increased for tem consecutive months in this type of comparison.

Compared to January 2009, there was decrease of 16.0%, with increase in 23 of the 27 activities surveyed, reflecting, to a great extent, the low basis for comparison, due to non-programmed interruptions and the occurrence of collective vacations in January 2009. The subsector of automotive vehicles, which grew 41.4%, accounted for the main impact on the formation of the overall rate, being positively affected by the increase of production of most products surveyed (92%), mainly the items automobiles and trucks. It is also worth mentioning the two-digit increases of machinery and equipment (34.0%), metallurgy (34.5%), other chemical products (27.5%), metal products (43.0%), mining and quarrying industry (20.8%) and rubber and plastic (24.5%). In these activities, the main highlights were: microwave ovens and refrigerators; carbon-steel bobbins and steel ingots, blooms and billets; paints and varnishes for construction and petrochemical products; parts and pieces of boilers; iron ore; rubber and plastic accessories and pieces for car industry and tires for automobiles and trucks. Among the four items with falling results, the main contribution to the average of industry came from other transportation equipment (-20.0%), mainly affected by the decrease of airplane production.

In the same comparison, all categories of use had positive rates, as well as durable consumer goods (36.4%) and intermediate goods (20.2%), pointing to higher pace than that of general industry (16,0%), whereas capital goods and semi-durable and non-durable consumer goods (5.8%) were below average.

The subsector of durable consumer goods (36.4%)had the biggest increase, and was affected by the increases of the production of cars (30.6%), mobile telephones (59.7%) and household appliances (41.5%), both of the “white type” (32.4%) and of the “brown one” (39.5%). The production of intermediate goods (20.2%) also had an overall profile of increase in this type of comparison, with major positive influences coming from products related to metallurgy (34.5%), other chemical products (26.6%), mining and quarrying industry (20.8%), automotive vehicles (42.1%), metal products  (51.5%) and rubber and plastic (24.3%). In this category of use, the only negative result came from the subsector of food products (-0.9%), affected, to a great extent, by the reduced production of crystallized sugar and processed cashew nuts. It is also worth mentioning the two-digit increase of inputs for construction (10.8%) and packaging (12.9%).

The increase of 12.8% of the subsector of capital goods was stimulated by the increase of most of its subsectors, mainly machinery and equipment for construction (202.6%), for mixed use (19.8%), for industrial use (21.7%) and for transportation (6.8%). Although its performance was below the average of industry as a whole (16.0%), semi-durable and non-durable consumer goods surpassed by 5.8% the level of production of January 2009, which was supported by the increase observed in all the groups: fuels (11.7%), semi-durable goods (11.6%), other non-durable goods (6.6%) and food products and beverages for domestic use (2.8%).

The result of January 2010 (16.0%) was significantly above the index for the fourth quarter of 2009 (5.8%), both compared to the same period in the previous year. This movement is present in most of (21) the 27 subsectors surveyed and in all categories of use. Among these it is worth mentioning the increase observed in capital goods, which reversed the decrease of 1.6% registered in the last quarter of 2009, and has increased 12.8% in January. Considering intermediate goods, the level of increase changed from 6.7% to 20.2%, whereas durable consumer goods changed from 25.0% to 36.4%. The production of semi-durable and non-durable consumer goods showed the lowest gain of rhythm between both periods: from 2.3% in the fourth quarter of 2009 to 5.8% in January this year.

The annualized rate, the indicator accumulated in the last twelve months, kept presenting decrease, but at a lower pace. After having decreased by -10.6% in October, -9.7% in November and -7.4% in December, the rate reached -5.0% last January. Among the categories of use, the subsector of durable consumer goods (-2.0%) increased by 4.4 percentage points compared to the result of last December (-6.4%). In this same period, other categories of use had the following results: capital goods (from -17.4% to -15.8%), intermediate goods (from -8.8% to -5.9%) and semi-durable and non-durable consumer goods (from -1.6% to -0.5%).

In summary, the beginning of 2010 shows the continuity of industrial production, with significant results when compared to January 2009 (16.0%), and to December (1.1%), in the seasonally adjusted series. This rate takes production to a level close to that in January 2008, and returns the decrease accumulated in the last two months of 2009. As a result, the quarterly moving average index has repeated the same level as in the previous month, implying stabilization after ten months of increase.

In January 2010, industrial production increased 1.1% compared to the figure in the previous month (in the seasonally adjusted series), eliminating the negative change of 1.0% accumulated in the two previous months. Compared to January 2009, industry recorded 16.0% of increase, the second consecutive two-digit increase in this type of comparison. This is mainly a consequence of the low basis for comparison resulting from the international economic crisis. The indicator accumulated in the last twelve months remained negative (-5.0%), leading to reduction of decrease in the end of 2008 (-7.4%).