In September 2013, the national industrial output expanded 0.7% over the immediately previous month in the seasonally adjusted series, after registering a null change (0.0%) in August and a decline of 2.4% in July. Compared with the same month last year in the seasonally unadjusted series, the industry overall rate advanced 2.0% in September 2013, after recording a drop of 1.2% in August, when it interrupted four consecutive months of positive figures in this type of comparison. In the cumulative index in the first nine months of 2013, the industrial activity expanded 1.6% over the same period last year. By expanding 1.1% in September 2013, the annualized rate - cumulative indicator in the last 12 months - maintained the upward trend started in December last year (-2.6%) and registered the highest positive figure since October 2011 (1.4%).

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 grow in September

The expansion of the industrial activity between August and September hit two out of the four categories of use and 13 out of the 27 sectors surveyed. Among the sectors, the main positive influence was registered by motor vehicles (6.2%). Other relevant positive contributions on the overall industry came from other transportation equipment (8.6%), other chemicals (2.7%), toiletries, soaps, detergents and cleaning products (8.4%), pharmaceuticals (2.5%), fabricated metal products (1.4%) and mining and quarrying industries (0.8%). As to the 13 activities that reduced the production, the most important performances for the industry average were recorded by publishing, printing and reproduction of recorded media (-12.2%) and oil refining and ethanol production (-4.5%). It is worth mentioning the drops reported by the sectors of wearing apparel and accessories (-10.5%), electrical machinery and apparatus (-2.5%), food products (-0.4%), communication equipment, apparatus and electronic material (-2.0%) and machinery and equipment (-0.5%).

Among the categories of use, still considering the comparison with the immediately previous month, capital goods posted the highest expansion by advancing 4.0%. The segment of durable consumer goods (2.3%) also registered a positive rate in September and accelerated its growth over August´s figure (0.6%). The sector producing intermediate goods (0.0%) repeated the level of the immediately previous month, after advancing 0.6% last August. The manufacturing of semi and non-durable consumer goods (-1.4%) was the only to decline in September 2013 and recorded the third drop in a row, a cumulative loss of 3.7% in this period.

Quarterly moving average declines 0.6%

Still in the seasonally adjusted series, the evolution of the quarterly moving average index for the overall industry posted a drop of 0.6% in the quarter ended in September, against the previous month, after having also recorded negative rates in July (-0.8%) and August (-0.1%). Among the categories of use, still in relation to this index on the margin, durable consumer goods (-1.8%) registered the steepest decline, maintaining the sequence of negative figures since last July. The segment of semi and non-durable consumer goods (-1.2%) also recorded a negative rate in September, interrupting the upward trend started last April. The manufacturing of intermediate goods (0.0%) repeated in September the same level registered in the previous month, maintaining the predominantly negative behavior since November last year. The sector producing capital goods (0.6%) recorded the only positive figure in September, though smaller than that reported in August (1.4%).

Industrial output rises 2.0% compared with September 2012

The industrial sector rose 2.0% in September 2013 compared with the same month a year ago. The positive figures prevailed, once three out of the four categories of use and 19 out of the 27 activities expanded the production.

As to the activities, machinery and equipment (17.9%) and motor vehicles (11.6%) exerted the highest positive influences on the overall average. Other positive contributions on the overall industry came from other chemicals (4.3%), other transportation equipment (9.8%), food products (1.9%), toiletries, soaps, detergents and cleaning products (13.7%) and miscellaneous manufacturing (23.0%). Among the eight activities that reduced the production, still comparing with September 2012, the main impacts came from publishing, printing and reproduction of recorded media (-22.2%), pharmaceuticals (-20.4%) and beverages (-6.5%).

By rising 24.1% in September 2013 compared with the same month a year ago, capital goods recorded the sixth consecutive month of two-digit growth and the highest expansion among the categories of use. The segments of durable consumer goods (1.5%) and of intermediate goods (0.4%) also registered positive rates in September, though below the overall average (2.0%). On the other hand, the sector producing semi and non-durable consumer goods (-1.6%) posted the only decline among the categories of use in September, the second negative figure in a row in this type of comparison.

By rising 24.1% in September 2013, the sector of capital goods posted the ninth consecutive positive figure compared with the same month last year and the most intense figure since last April (24.3%) It is worth mentioning the low basis for comparison, once this segment declined 14.5% in September 2012. As to the contribution for the index in September, this sector was influenced by the growth of all of its groups. The highlight was the expansion of 23.8% registered by capital goods for transportation equipment. The other positive figures were recorded by capital goods for construction (78.9%), for mixed use (14.5%), for industrial use (18.7%), for agriculture (32.2%) and for electric energy (3.4%).

By rising 1.5% in September 2013, the segment of durable consumer goods reverted two consecutive months of negative rates in this type of comparison, leveraged at a great extent by the increased manufacturing of brown goods (25.9%), other household appliances (16.4%), motorcycles (18.0%) and furniture (6.5%). This category of use reported negative figures in the manufacturing of mobile telephones (-17.0%), white goods (-3.5%) and cars (-0.5%).

After dropping 2.0% in August´s monthly index, the sector producing intermediate goods (0.4%) rose again in September. This sector was positively influenced by the products associated with the activities of other chemicals (4.0%), motor vehicles (4.2%), fabricated metal products (3.7%), non-metallic minerals (1.6%), textiles (1.9%) and mining and quarrying industries (0,7%), whereas the negative influences were reported in oil refining and ethanol production (-5.3%), pulp, paper and paper products (-0.7%), rubber and plastic products (-0.8%), food products (-0.7%) and basic metals (-0.3%). Still concerning this category of use, it is worth mentioning the positive figures coming from the groups of inputs for civil construction (5.2%) and of packaging (1.0%), both of them reverting drops recorded in the previous month: -1.6% and -1.5%, respectively.

By declining 1.6% in September´s monthly index, the segment of semi and non-durable consumer goods posted the most intense drop since last March (-7.7%). The performance in September was explained at a great extent by the reduced manufacturing of the group of other non-durable (-8.7%). It is also worth mentioning the negative figure registered by food and beverages for domestic consumption (-0.3%). On the other hand, the positive influences were reported by the groups of fuels (10.9%) and of semi-durables (1.8%).

Industry advances 1.6% in the cumulative index in 2013

The industrial sector grew 1.6% in the cumulative index for the first nine months of 2013 over the same period a year ago. Three out of the four categories of use and 16 out of the 27 sectors surveyed reported positive rates. Among the activities, motor vehicles (11.2%) remained as the biggest positive influence on the overall average. Other significant positive influences came from the sectors of oil refining and ethanol production (7.7%), machinery and equipment (6.6%), other transportation equipment (7.2%), electrical machinery and apparatus (5.9%) and rubber and plastic products (3.4%). Among the 11 activities that reduced the production, the main impacts came from publishing, printing and reproduction of recorded media (-11.2%), pharmaceuticals (-7.6%), mining and quarrying industries (-4.6%) and basic metals (-2.7%).

Among the categories of use, the cumulative index in the period January-September 2013 showed higher dynamism for capital goods (14.6%). Leveraged by positive indexes along all of its groups, the highlight was the increased manufacturing of capital goods for transportation equipment (22.5%). The sector producing durable consumer goods (2.3%) also expanded above the overall average (1.6%) in the first nine months of the year, influenced at a great extent by the increased manufacturing of cars (2.8%) and brown goods (10.3%). The production of intermediate goods (0.2%) pointed to a slight positive change, while that of semi and non-durable consumer goods (-0.2%) registered the only negative figure in the cumulative index of the year.