In the seasonally-adjusted series, the national industrial output advanced 0.8% in April 2018 against March, after registering 0.1% in February and -0.1% in March. In the seasonally-unadjusted series, the industry rose 8.9% over April 2017, recording the 12th consecutive positive rate and the steepest one since April 2013 (9.8%).

The industrial sector posted a cumulative rise of 4.5% in the year and of 3.9% in 12 months. This last indicator was the highest one since May 2011 (4.5%), maintaining the upward trend since June 2016 (-9.7%). The complete publication of the Monthly Survey of Industry - PIM-PF can be accessed on the right side of this page.

Thirteen of 26 industrial sectors advance between March and April

The advance of 0.8% in industry in April showed the predominance of positive figures, reaching the four major economic categories and 13 out of the 26 sectors surveyed. Among the sectors, the major positive influences came from coke, petroleum products and biofuels (5.2%) and motor vehicles, trailers and bodies (4.7%), the former stepping up the growth of 0.8% reported in the previous month, and the latter advancing for the third consecutive month and posting a cumulative expansion of 8.7%.

On the other hand, the most important performances among the 11 sectors that reduced the output in April were toiletries, soaps, cleaning and personal hygiene products (-7.3%), machinery and equipment (-3.1%), computer equipment, electronic and optical products (-4.0%) and rubber and plastic products (-2.0%), all of them reversing the positive indexes of March: 6.0%, 2.4%, 4.1% and 0.3%, respectively.

Having risen 2.8%, durable consumer goods registered the sharpest advance in April over March and the third positive result in a row, accruing an expansion of 7.8% in this period. The sectors producing capital goods (1.4%), intermediate goods (1.0%) and semi and non-durable consumer goods (0.5%) also increased, the first advancing 5.3% in the last two months, the second interrupting three consecutive months of drop, a period in which it declined 3.6%, and the last one accruing a gain of 1.1% in March and April 2018.

Still in the seasonally-adjusted series, the evolution of the index of the quarterly moving average for the whole industry positively changed 0.3% in the quarter ended in April 2018 over the previous month, after retreating 0.7% last March, when it interrupted the upward trend started in May 2017.

Still in relation to March, durable consumer goods (2.5%) and capital goods (1.5%) recorded the positive figures this month, the former maintaining the predominantly upward trend started in October 2016, and the latter maintaining the rise since February 2017. The sector producing semi and non-durable consumer goods (0.0%) posted a null change for the second month in a row, after accruing a expansion of 2.0% between December 2017 and February 2018. The segment of intermediate goods (-0.2%) registered the only reduction in April 2018 and maintained the upward trend started last January.

Compared with April 2017, the industry grew 8.9% in April 2018, recording positive figures in the four major economic categories, 24 out of the 26 sectors, 62 out of the 79 groups and 67.3% of the 805 products surveyed. It is worth mentioning that April 2018 (21 days) had three business days more than the same month in the previous year (18). Among the activities, motor vehicles, trailers and bodies (40.6%) and food products (12.0%) exerted the biggest positive influences on the industry average.

Other relevant positive contributions to the national overall came from computer equipment, electronic and optical products (32.8%), machinery and equipment (9.6%), basic metals (7.4%), beverages (11.6%), rubber and plastic products (8.6%), fabricated metal products (9.5%), pulp, paper and paper products (5.2%), electrical machinery and apparatus (7.9%), wearing apparel and wearing apparel and accessories (8.6%), other transportation equipment (15.0%), wood products (12.5%), furniture (13.5%), pharm-chemicals and pharmaceuticals (5.6%), other chemicals (2.6%), non-metallic mineral products (3.7%) and toiletries, soaps, cleaning and personal hygiene products (7.2%                                           ). Conversely, the activities of tobacco products (-5.6%) and printing and reproduction of recorded media (-1.3%) posted the only two negative rates compared with April 2017.

Still in relation to April 2017, durable consumer goods (36.2%) and capital goods (23.2%) registered the steepest advances among the major economic categories. The segments of semi and non-durable consumer goods (9.6%) and intermediate goods (4.7%) also recorded positive rates this month, the former increasing above the national average (8.9%) and the latter posting the most moderate expansion.

The segment of durable consumer goods rose 36.2% in April 2018 over the same period in 2017, the 18th consecutive positive rate in this comparison and the highest one since December 2009 (82.7%). In April, this sector was particularly leveraged by the increase in the manufacture of cars (44.6%) and brown goods (48.3%). It is also worth mentioning the expansion in motorcycles (35.6%), white goods (6.7%), furniture (10.6%) and other household appliances (18.9%).

The sector of capital goods increased 23.2% in relation to April 2017, the 12th consecutive rise in this comparison and the sharpest one since September 2013 (24.1%). In April, this segment was influenced by the advance in capital goods for transportation equipment (37.9%). The other positive rates were recorded in capital goods for mixed use (34.6%), for construction (44.6%), for industrial use (3.3%), for agriculture (10.9%) and for electricity (11.5%).

Having risen 9.6% in April 2018 over April 2017, the segment of semi and non-durable consumer goods reversed the drop last March (-1.5%), when it interrupted a five-month rise. The result in April 2018 was the highest one since April 2013 (9.9%). This performance was explained by the expansion reported by the group of food and beverages for domestic consumption (12.0%). It is also worth mentioning the positive results reported by the groups of non-durable (7.5%). semi-durable (7.8%) and fuels (7.4%).

The production of intermediate goods expanded 4.7% in the monthly index of April 2018, reversing the negative rate reported last March (-0.5%), when it interrupted ten consecutive months of positive rates in this type of comparison. It is worth highlighting that the result of April 2018 was the highest one since April 2013 (6.8%).

The increase reported this month was mainly explained by the advances in products associated to the activities of motor vehicles, trailers and bodies (27.0%), food products (13.4%), basic metals (7.4%), fabricated metal products (10.3%), rubber and plastic products (8.4%), pulp, paper and paper products (6.4%), other chemicals (2.6%), non-metallic mineral products (3.6%), machinery and equipment (4.0%) and mining and quarrying industries (0.1%), whereas the negative pressure came from coke, petroleum products and biofuels (-2.4%) and textiles (-0.4%).

In the cumulative index in the year against the same period last year, the industrial sector rose 4.5%, registering positive figures in the four major economic categories, 18 out of the 26 sectors, 59 out of the 79 groups and 59.4% of the 805 products surveyed. Among the activities, that of motor vehicles, trailers and bodies (25.2%) exerted the highest negative influence on the industry average.

Other relevant positive contributions came from food products (4.8%), computer equipment, electronic and optical products (27.6%), basic metals (8.0%), machinery and equipment (7.7%), pulp, paper and paper products (7.1%), rubber and plastic products (5.7%), pharm-chemicals and pharmaceuticals (7.3%), beverages (4.5%), wood products (10.1%), toiletries, soaps, cleaning and personal hygiene products (7.8%) and furniture (10.0%). Among the eight dropping activities, the main influences came from coke, petroleum products and biofuels (-4.2%) and mining and quarrying industries (-2.0%).

Among the major economic categories, the most dynamic in the year were durable consumer goods (21.6%) and capital goods (14.0%), leveraged by the increasing manufacture of cars (21.6%) and household appliances (27.4%), in the former; and of capital goods for transportation equipment (25.4%), for construction (53.2%) and for mixed use (21.6%), in the latter. The sectors producing semi and non-durable consumer goods (2.8%) and intermediate goods (2.4%) also reported positive rates in the cumulative index in the year, though below the national average (4.5%).

Having advanced 4.5% in the first four-month period of 2018, the industrial sector maintained the positive behavior reported in the last two four-month periods of 2017: January-April (-0.2%), May-August (3.1%), and September-December (4.3%), all of them compared with the same period a year ago. This gain was also noticed in three out of the four major economic categories, highlighted by capital goods (from 10.0% to 14.0%) and durable consumer goods (from 17.7% to 21.6%), leveraged, at a great extent, by the advances in the manufacture of capital goods for transportation equipment (from 17.3% to 25.4%), in the former; and brown goods (from 13.1% to 47.3%), in the latter. The sector producing semi and non-durable consumer goods (from 2.0% to 2.8%) also rose between the two periods, whereas the segment of intermediate goods (from 3.4% to 2.4%) was the only one that decelerated.