In the seasonally-adjusted series, the national industrial output increased 0.2% in February over January. The positive figure came after a retreat (-2.2%) in January. In the seasonally-unadjusted series, the industry rose 2.8% in relation to February 2017, the tenth consecutive positive rate in this comparison and the less intense since September 2017 (2.6%). The cumulative index in the year increased 4.3%. The cumulative rate in the last 12 months advanced 3.0%, the best result since June 2011 (3.6%). The complete publication, presentation and time series of the Monthly Survey of Industry - PIM-PF Brazil are on the right size of this page.

14 of 26 sectors increase between January and February 

Two out of the four major economic categories and 14 out of the 26 sectors surveyed increased between January and February 2018. Among the sectors, the major positive influences were: toiletries, cleaning and personal hygiene products (4.4%, offsetting the retreat of 2.4% in January); motor vehicles, trailers and bodies (0.9% against -6.6% in January); fabricated metal products (3.1% against -2.5%); miscellaneous manufacturing (7.4% against -11%); leather, traveling items and footwear (4.1% against -3.5%); electrical machinery and apparatus (2.6% against -3.7%). The sector of beverages (1.8%) remained growing and accrued an expansion of 6.9% over the last three months. 

Among the declining activities, the most important performance for the overall average came from mining and quarrying industries (-5.2%), eliminating the advance of 3.4% in January. Other influences were pharm-chemicals and pharmaceuticals (-8.1%), food products (-0.8%), coke, petroleum products and biofuels (-1.3%), machinery and equipment (-2.7%), maintenance, repair and installation of machinery and equipment (-11.3%),printing and reproduction of recorded media (-14.8%) and basic metals (-1.5%).

Still comparing with January 2018, durable consumer goods posted the biggest expansion in February 2018 (1.7%) among the major economic categories, after retreating 5.8% last month, when it offset part of the growth of 10.4% registered in November and December 2017. The segment of capital goods (0.1%) reversed the loss of 0.5% recorded in January, when it interrupted the predominantly positive behavior started in April 2017, a period in which it accrued an expansion of 10.5%. On the other hand, the sectors producing intermediate goods (-0.7%) and semi and non-durable consumer goods (-0.6%) posted the negative figures this month.

Quarterly moving average changes 0.3% 

Still in the seasonally-adjusted series, the evolution of the quarterly moving average index for the industry rose 0.3% in the quarter ended in February 2018 against the previous month and maintained the upward trend started in May 2017. Among the major economic categories, the advances were reported in durable consumer goods (1.1%) and semi and non-durable consumer goods (1.0%), maintaining the upward trend since November 2016 and November 2017, respectively. The sectors of intermediate goods (-0.3%) and capital goods (-0.1%) declined in February 2018, interrupting the upward trends started in April and January 2017, respectively.

Industry grows 2.8% over February 2017

Compared with February 2017, the industrial sector grew 2.8% in February 2018, registering positive figures in all the major economic categories, 18 out of the 26 sectors, 55 out of the 79 groups and 55.0% of the 805 products surveyed.

Among the activities, that of motor vehicles, trailers and bodies (16.8%) exerted the biggest positive influence on the industry average. Other relevant positive contributions to the national overall came from computer equipment, electronic and optical products (29.2%), basic metals (8.3%), pulp, paper and paper products (11.6%), beverages (10.0%), food products (2.3%), wood products (19.3%), rubber and plastic products (5.7%), toiletries, soaps, cleaning and personal hygiene products (10.6%), other chemicals (2.6%), machinery and equipment (2.0%) and furniture (7.6%).

Among the eight declining activities, the major influences on the industry overall came from mining and quarrying industries (-5.5%), coke, petroleum products and biofuels (-6.7%), wearing apparel and accessories (-7.5%) and printing and reproduction of recorded media (-17.3%).

Among the major economic categories, durable consumer goods (15.6%) and capital goods (7.8%) recorded the biggest advances in February 2018 over February 2017. Semi and non-durable consumer goods (1.6%) and intermediate goods (1.5%) increased below the magnitude of the national average (2.8%).

The segment of durable consumer goods rose 15.6% in February 2018 over the same period in 2017, posting the sixteenth consecutive positive rate in this comparison, though lower than that reported in the two previous months: December 2017 (21.1%) and January 2018 (20.4%). This sector was particularly leveraged by the increase in the manufacture of cars (11.8%) and brown goods (41.1%).

It is also worth mentioning the expansion registered in motorcycles (24.1%), furniture (7.0%) and other household appliances (12.3%). On the other hand, the major negative impact was recorded by white goods (-2.5%).

The sector of capital goods increased 7.8% in relation to February 2017, the tenth consecutive rise in this comparison and the less intense since last January (17.9%). This segment was influenced, to a great extent, by the advance posted by the group of capital goods for transportation equipment (15.8%). The other positive rates were registered by capital goods for mixed use (29.4%) and for construction (52.8%). Conversely, the negative impacts were reported by the groups of capital goods for agriculture (-12.9%), for industrial use (-1.2%) and for electricity (-0.8%).

The segment of semi and non-durable consumer goods registered the fifth consecutive rise (1.6%), though lower than that in the previous month (2.9%). This performance was explained, to a great extent, by the expansion in food and beverages for domestic consumption (4.1%). It is also worth mentioning the positive result of the group of non-durable (1.5%). On the other hand, the subsectors of fuels (-6.1%) and semi-durable (-1.1%) retreated.

Intermediate goods rose 1.5%, the tenth consecutive rise in this comparison, though the lowest one since July 2017 (1.1%). The result of this month was mainly explained by the advances in motor vehicles, trailers and bodies (15.9%), basic metals (8.3%), pulp, paper and paper products (13.4%), food products (3.8%), rubber and plastic products (5.9%), other chemicals (2.6%), fabricated metal products (4.2%), machinery and equipment (1.8%) and non-metallic mineral products (0.4%). The negative pressure came from mining and quarrying industries (-5.5%), coke, petroleum products and biofuels (-6.9%) and textiles (-0.3%).

Still in this economic category, it is worth mentioning the positive figures in the groups of typical inputs for civil construction (2.7%), which recorded the fifth consecutive rise over the same month a year ago; and packaging (5.6%), which posted the seventh positive rate in a row.

Industry accrues rise of 4.3% in year

In the cumulative index for January-February 2018 against the same period in 2017, the industry increased 4.3%, registering positive figures in the four economic categories, 21 out of the 26 sectors, 57 out of the 79 groups and 57.4% of the 805 products surveyed.

Among the activities, motor vehicles, trailers and bodies (21.7%) exerted the biggest positive influence on the industry, followed by computer equipment, electronic and optical products (30.4%), basic metals (9.2%), food products (3.6%), beverages (10.0%), machinery and equipment (8.0%), pulp, paper and paper products (8.4%), rubber and plastic products (5.7%), wood products (16.5%), pharm-chemicals and pharmaceuticals (7.0%), fabricated metal products (3.8%) and furniture (10.0%).

Among the five dropping activities, the major influences were coke, petroleum products and biofuels (-5.9%) and mining and quarrying industries (-2.7%).

Among the major economic categories, the profile of results for the first bimester of the year had a greater dynamism for durable consumer goods (17.9%) and capital goods (12.6%), leveraged, to a great extent, by the increasing manufacture of cars (14.4%) and household appliances (26.5%), in the former; and of capital goods for transportation equipment (22.7%), for construction (65.7%) and for mixed use (24.7%), in the latter. The sectors of intermediate goods (2.9%) and semi and non-durable consumer goods (2.2%) also accrued positive rates in the year, though below the national average (4.3%).