In March 2013, the industrial output increased 0.7% in relation to the immediately previous month, in the seasonally adjusted series, after registering an expansion of 2.7% in January and a decline of 2.4% in February. Compared with the same month of the previous year in the series not seasonally adjusted, the overall industry registered a fall of 3.3% in March 2013, the second negative result in a row in this kind of comparison. In the seasonally adjusted series, the industrial sector declined 0.5% in the first quarter of 2013 against the January-March period last year. Nevertheless, it stayed 0.8% above the level recorded in the immediately previous quarter. By declining 2.0% in March 2013, the annualized rate, cumulative index in the last 12 months, registered figures very close to those recorded in January (-2.0%) and February (-1.9%).

The complete publication of the survey can be accessed at www.ibge.gov.br/english/estatistica/indicadores/industria/pimpfbr/.

13 out of 27 sectors surveyed registered growth in March

The expansion in the pace of industrial activity in March reached 13 out of the 27 sectors surveyed, highlighted by the sector of motor vehicles, which grew 5.1% this month, eliminating part of the fall of 8.1% recorded last February. Other relevant positive contributions to the overall industry came from petroleum refining and alcohol production (3.3%), office machinery and computer equipment (11.9%), beverages (4.6%), tobacco (33.4%), furniture (11.0%) and rubber and plastic products (2.7%). Among the sectors that registered decline of production, the major negative pressure on the overall average was recorded in the sector of food products (-2.7%), which registered the second negative figure in a row, a cumulative loss of 4.0% in the period. It is also worth mentioning the negative influences recorded in other transportation equipment (-5.0%), fabricated metal products (-4.4%), miscellaneous manufacturing (-7.3%) and other chemical products (-1.0%). Except for the last sector, which registered a cumulative loss of 2.1% in the February-March period, the others recorded positive rates in the previous month: 9.5%, 2.4% and 14.3%, respectively.

Among the categories of use, still comparing with the immediately previous month, durable consumer goods (4.7%) registered the highest expansion this month, recovering part of the fall of 7.3% recorded in February. The production of the segments of intermediate goods (0.8%) and of capital goods (0.7%) also grew in March 2013, the former virtually eliminating the decline of 0.9% registered in the previous month and the latter recording a cumulative gain of 11.7% in three consecutive months of positive rates. The sector of semi- and non-durable consumer goods (-0.5%) registered the only negative figure among the categories of use in March, the second decline in a row in this kind of comparison, a cumulative loss of 2.9% in the period.

Quarterly moving average changes 0.3%

Still in the seasonally adjusted series, the evolution of the quarterly moving average index for the overall industry had a positive change of 0.3% in the quarter ended in March, against the previous month, after having also recorded positive rates in January (0.4%) and February (0.1%). Among the categories of use, still relative to this index on margin, the rise of 3.7% of capital goods recorded the highest expansion and maintained the upward trend which started last December. The sector of intermediate goods (0.3%) also registered a positive figure in March, after having stayed virtually stable in the last three months. The sectors producing semi- and non-durable consumer goods (-0.8%) and durable consumer goods (-0.2%) registered negative rates this month, the former improving the loss of 0.4% recorded last February, and the latter reducing the pace of fall against the figure last month (-1.9%).

Industrial output declines 3.3% in comparison with March 2012

Compared with the same month of the previous year, the industrial sector declined 3.3% in March 2013, showing a widespread profile of negative results, since three out of the four categories of use and 21 out of the 27 activities surveyed pointed to a fall in the production. It is worth mentioning that March 2013 (20 days) had two working days less than in the previous year (22). The major negative impacts on the overall average were registered in the industries of food products (-7.9%), pharmaceuticals (-17.3%), mining and quarrying (-7.1%) and basic metals (-7.3%).

Other relevant negative contributions to the national overall came from publishing, printing and reproduction of recorded media (-8.4%), other chemical products (-3.9%), beverages (-5.7%), fabricated metal products (-5.7%) and textiles (-8.6%). Still comparing with March 2012, among the six activities that increased the production, the major influence was recorded by petroleum refining and alcohol production (10.1%).

Among the categories of use, still comparing with the same month of the previous year, the indexes were negative for semi- and non-durable consumer goods (-8.2%), durable consumer goods (-4.0%) and intermediate goods (-1.7%), whereas the production of capital goods increased 4.3%, registering the only positive figure in March 2013.

The segments of semi- and non-durable consumer goods (-8.2%) and of durable consumer goods (-4.0%) recorded higher negative rates in the monthly index of March 2013. The performance of the first segment, which recorded the highest fall since January 2009 (-8.6%), was due to the decline in all its groups, highlighted by the drops of food products and beverages for domestic consumption (-8.8%) and of other non-durable (-9.5%). The other negative figures were registered by the groups of semi-durable (-8.6%) and fuels (-0.7%).

The reduction in the production of durable consumer goods (-4.0%), the second negative rate in a row in this type of comparison, was influenced in large extent by the smaller manufacturing of mobile telephones (-10.9%), white goods (-11.1%), cars (-4.1%) and motorcycles (-21.4%). The major positive impacts in this category of use came from the larger production of furniture (8.9%), brown goods (5.5%) and other house appliances (2.9%).

Still comparing with the same month of the previous year, the sector producing intermediate goods (-1.7%) was pressed by the negative figures coming from products associated with the activities of basic metals (-7.3%), mining and quarrying industries (-7.1%), other chemical products (-5.1%), food products (-8.5%), motor vehicles (-5.3%), textiles (-6.6%), pulp, paper and paper products (-3.3%), fabricated metal products (-3.9%) and non-metallic mineral products (-1.9%), whereas the positive influences were recorded by petroleum refinement and alcohol production (15.2%) and rubber and plastic products (0.3%). Still in this category of use, it is also worth mentioning the figures coming from the segments of input for civil construction (-3.0%), the second consecutive negative rate, and of packaging (0.8%), which posted the third expansion in a row in the monthly index.

The sector producing capital goods (4.3%) registered the third consecutive positive figure in the monthly index, particularly influenced by the expansion in the group of capital goods for transportation equipment (9.8%). It is worth mentioning the positive figures recorded by the groups of capital goods for industrial purposes (6.4%) and for agriculture (10.1%). The other subsectors registered a fall in the production this month: capital goods for mixed use (-1.4%), for electric energy (-4.7%) and for construction (-7.0%).

Industry declines 0.5% in the first quarter of 2013

The industrial sector recorded a decrease of 0.5% in the cumulative index for the January-March 2013 period, against the same period of the previous year. Seventeen out of the 27 sectors surveyed reduced the production. The major negative impacts were recorded in the sectors of publishing, printing and reproduction of recorded media (-10.2%), basic metals (-6.9%), pharmaceuticals (-9.0%), food products (-3.1%), mining and quarrying industries (-4.9%), textiles (-7.1%), machinery and equipment (-2.0%) and tobacco (-23.3%). As to the ten activities that recorded increase in production, the activity of motor vehicles (12.7%) exerted the highest positive influence on the overall average. Other significant positive influences came from the sectors of petroleum refining and alcohol production (7.2%) and of other transportation equipment (6.2%).

Among the categories of use, capital goods (9.8%) showed higher dynamism, while the sector producer of durable consumer goods (1.0%) also posted a positive rate in the first three months of the year. On the other hand, the negative figures were observed in intermediate goods (-0.8%) and semi- and non-durable consumer goods (-3.9%).