In August 2013, the industrial output recorded no change (0.0%) in relation to the previous month in the seasonally adjusted series, after registering a 2.1% expansion in June and a 2.4% drop in July. In the seasonally adjusted series, in the comparison with same month a year ago, the industry contracted 1,2% in August 2013 and interrupted four months of consecutive positive results in this kind of comparison. The cumulative index for the eight months of the year recorded increase of 1.6%, below the rate registered in the end of the first semester (2.0%). The annual rate, cumulative indicator in the last 12 months, growing 0.7% in August 2013, kept the upward trend started December last year (-2.6%) and posted the highest positive result since October 2011 (1.4%). The complete publication of the survey can be accessed at  www.ibge.gov.br/english/estatistica/indicadores/industria/pimpfbr/default.shtm.

15 out of the 27 segments surveyed posted a rise in the output

The unchanged rate (0.0%) of the industrial activity between July and  August reveals a prevalence of positive rates, since three of the four categories of  use and 15 of the 27 segments surveyed registered growth in the output. Among the sectors, the main positive influences were registered by food (2.5%) and motor vehicles (1.7%), both offsetting the drops recorded in the prior month. -1.3% and -7.6%, respectively. Other relevant positive contributions came from machinery and equipment (1.2%), wearing apparel and accessories (7.2%), publishing, printing and reproduction of recorded media (2.1%) and basic metals (1.0%). these segments also presented negative results this month: -1.3%, -3.8%, -1.2% and -1.7%, respectively. Among the 11 activities that reduced the output, the most important performance was seen in the pharmaceutical industry, which drew back 5.6% in August and accumulated a loss of 18.8% in the last two months. There were also drops in the sectors of beverages (-3.1%), of other transportation equipments (-3.7%), of toiletries, soaps, detergents and cleaning products (-5.1%) and of tobacco (-7.7%).

Among the categories of use, still comparing with July, capital goods (2,6%) signaled the sharpest expansion in August 2013, offsetting part of the 4.7% drop seen in July. The sectors of intermediate goods (0.6%) and of durable consumer goods (0.2%) also recorded positive rates, with the first one interrupting three months of output drops, when it accumulated a loss of 1.8%, and the second one returning to grow after contracting 7.4% in July. Semi- and non-durable consumer goods (-0.3%) recorded the second consecutive negative result, accumulating a 2.1% loss.

Quarterly moving average changed –0.1%

In the seasonally adjusted series, the evolution of the quarterly moving average index had a negative change of 0.1% in the quarter ended in August against the previous month. It was the second consecutive negative result in this indicator, but much weaker than the one seen in July (-0.8%). Among the categories of use, in relation to the movement of this index on margin, durable capital goods (-1.1%) recorded the sharpest drop in August 2013, with a falling pace close to the previous month's (-1.2%). The segment of intermediate goods (-0.1%) also recorded a negative rate this month and kept a prevailing negative behavior present since November last year. The positive results were recorded by capital goods (1.4%) and by semi- and non-durable consumer goods (0.2%), with the first one offsetting the drop of 0.6% registered in the previous month, and the second, keeping the upward trend initiated last May.

Industry contracts 1.2% in comparison with August 2012

In the comparison with August 2012, the industry posted a reduction of 1.2% in August 2013, with a prevalence of negative results, since three out of the four categories of use and 18 of the 27 activities registered drops in the production. August 2013 (22 days) had one workday less than the same month a year ago (23). Among the activities, pharmaceutical products (-22.0%) exerted the major negative influence, pushed by the reduction in the output of almost 65% of the products surveyed, with a highlight to the lowest manufacture of medicines. Other negative contributions came from publishing, printing and reproduction of recorded media (-6,5%), tobacco (-30.3%), beverages (-6.6%), food (-1.8%), other chemical products (-2.1%), office machinery and computer equipment (-8.8%), mining and quarrying industries (-2.0%) and toiletries, soaps, detergents and cleaning products (-6.2%). Among the nine activities that expanded production, machinery and equipment (9.3%) and petroleum refinement and alcohol production (7.4%) recorded the main positive influences.

Comparing with the previous month, durable consumer goods, contracting 6.3% in August 2013, recorded the second negative consecutive rate and the sharpest drop this month among the categories of use. The production of intermediate goods (- 2,0%) and of semi- and non-durable consumer goods (-1.6%) also decreased in relation to August.  On the other hand, the sector of capital goods, growing 11.8%, registered the only expansion among the categories of use this month and the fifth consecutive positive two-digit result.

Durable consumer goods, contracting 6.3% in August 2013, recorded the most intense drop since May 2012 (-9.4%), pushed by the lower manufacture of cars (-10.5%), mobile telephones (-8.3%), white goods (-3.9%), motorcycles (-11.1%) and pieces of furniture (-6.7%). In this category of use, positive impacts were also seen in the production of  brown goods (8.4%) and other household appliances (3.7%).

Comparing with August 2012, intermediate goods (-2%), and semi-durable and non-durable goods (-1.6%) registered decrease higher than the industrial average. In the first case, breaking two positive results in a row and with the highest decrease since February 2013 (-4.4%), the explanation for this month performance was the negative behavior of products linked to other chemicals (-2.5%), mining and quarrying industries (-2%), motor vehicles (-4%), food products (-2.9%), textiles (-3.8%) pulp, paper and paper products (-1.8%), rubber and plastic (-2.4%), basic metals (-0.3%), fabricated metal products (-1.2%) and non-metalic minerals (-0.3%); while the only positive influence came from petroleum refinement and alcohol production (5.1%). In this category, inputs for construction (-1.6%), which indicated the first negative rate since last March, and packages (-1.4%), reverting the expansion of 2.7% related to the previous month, had negative rates. Influenced by the negative figures of other non-durable goods (-7%) and food and beverages for household consumption, the decrease in semi-durable and non-durable goods (-1.6%) broke the sequence of four months of growth. The positive influences were in fuels (11%) and in semi-durable goods (4.9%).

The segment of capital goods, by increasing 11.8% in August 2013, posted the eighth positive figure in a row comparing with the same month last year. The growth in all groups influenced the segment, with a highlight to the advance of 10.7% recorded by capital goods for transportation equipment, pushed by the higher manufacturing of tractor trucks for trailers and semi-trailers; trucks, airplanes, and trailers and semi-trailers. The other positive figures were recorded in capital goods for construction (46.9%), for industrial purposes (11.4%) - the fifth two-digit expansion in a row -, for agricultural purposes (25.2%), for miscellaneous purposes (1.8%) and for electricity (0.7%).

The cumulative index of 2003 grows 1.6%

In the cumulative index for the eight months of 2013, comparing with the same period last year, the industrial segment posted growth of 1.6%, with positive rates in three out of four categories of use, 14 out of the 17 segments, 41 out of the 76 subsectors and 49.4% out of the 755 surveyed products. Among the activities, motor vehicles, which advanced 11%, had the major positive influence on the industry average, pushed by the output expansion of approximately 80% of the surveyed products in the segment. The highlights are the larger manufacture of tractor trucks for trailers and semi-trailers; trucks, automobiles and vehicles for the transportation of goods. Other relevant positive contributions came from the segments of petroleum refinement and alcohol production (8.6%), machinery and equipment (5.6%), other transportation equipment (6.8%), electrical machinery and apparatus (6.8%), and rubber and plastic (3.9%). Among the 13 segments with output reduction, the major impacts were on publishing, printing and reproducing of recorded media (-9.7%), mining and quarrying industries (-5.2%), pharmaceutical products (-6.9%) and basic metals (-3%).

Among the categories of use, the cumulative index of the year posted a higher dynamism for capital goods (13.5%), with positive results in all groups, especially in the manufacture of capital goods for transportation equipment (22.2%). The durable consumer goods segment (2.3%) also had an expansion over the national average (1.6%) in 2013, influenced by the major automobile production (3%) and brown goods (8.1%). These two categories of use, besides the pace increase of of the  industrial activity, were influenced by the low base of comparison, since the period of January-August recorded decrease of 12.2% and 7.2%, respectively. The production of intermediate goods (0.1%) posted a positive change; on the other hand, semi-durable and non-durable goods (-0.2%) recorded the only negative figure in the cumulative index of the year.