In February 2015, the national industrial output shrank 0.9% over January, in the seasonally adjusted series, after advancing 0.3% last January when it interrupted two months in a row of negative rates: -1.2% in November and -1.6% in December.
In the non-adjusted series (comparison with February 2014), the industry fell 9.1%, twelfth consecutive negative rate and the sharpest one since July 2009 (-10.0%). In the year, the industry accumulated a drop of 7.1%. The cumulative index in the last twelve months (-4.5%) kept the downward trend started in March of 2014 (2.0%) and registered the most significant negative result since January 2010 (-4.8%).
The complete publication of the Monthly Survey of Industry (PIM-PF) can be accessed at  https://www.ibge.gov.br/home/estatistica/indicadores/industria/pimpf/br/default.shtm. 

Indicators of Industrial Output by Major Economic Categories
Brazil - February 2015

Source: IBGE, Diretoria de Pesquisas, Coordenação de Indústria
*Seasonaly adjusted series

In relation to January, 11 of the 24 segments of industry shrank

The reduction of 0.9% of the industrial activity between January and February registered negative results in 11 of the 24 segments surveyed. Among the sectors, the main negative influences came from motor vehicles, trailers and bodies
(-1.7%), tobacco products (-24.0%) and computer, electronic and optical products (-4.2%). The first segment recorded the third month in a row of output decrease and accumulated in the period a fall of 8.9%; the second one reduced the rate by 48.0% in six consecutive months of negative rates and the last one eliminated the high of 1.5% seen in January.

Other important negative influences on the industry overall pharmochemicals and pharmaceuticals (-3.4%), basic metals (-0.9%), beverages (-1.2%), leather artifacts, travel accessories and footwear (-2.4%) and non-metallic mineral products (-1.1%). It is worth mentioning that, except for the first sector, with a negative rate for the third month in a row accumulating a loss of 6,4% in the period, the other activities recorded positive results last January: 6.3%, 0.4%, 2.5% and 0.9%, respectively. On the other hand, among the twelve segments that expanded the output this month, the most important performances in the global average were recorded by toiletries, soaps, detergents and cleaning products (2.0%), mining and quarrying industries (0.9%), fabricated metal products (2.9%), textiles (4.6%), coke, petroleum products and biofuels (0.6%) and machinery and equipment (1.2%).

Among the major economic categories, still in relation to January, capital goods (-4.1%) recorded the sharpest reduction, mainly due to the lowest production of trucks, still affected by the collective vacation granted in several units. This result offset part of the 8.2% advance seen in January. The producing sectors of semi- and non-durable consumer goods (-0.5%), of durable consumer goods (-0.4%) and of intermediate goods (-0.1%) also registered negative results in February, with the first two recording the fifth consecutive month of output contraction and accumulating in this period losses of 4.9% and 8.9%; the last one dropped again after having interrupted in the previous month the predominantly negative behavior observed since September 2014.

Thus, the quarterly moving average of the industry shrank 0.8% in the quarter ended in February de 2015 over the level of the previous month, after registering drops in November (-0.5%), December (-0.9%) and January (-0.9%).

70.2% of industrial products shrank over February 2014

In the comparison with the same month a year ago, the industrial sector fell 9.1% in February 2015, with widespread fall in the four major economic categories, in 24 of the 26 segments, in 66 of the 79 groups and in 70.2% of the 805 products surveyed. It is worth mentioning that February 2015 (18 days) had two less workdays than the same month in the prior year (20). Among the activities, motor vehicles, trailers and bodies, which fell 30.4%, exerted the major negative influence in the formation of the industrial average, pushed to a great extent by the output reduction of approximately 97% of the products surveyed in the sector, with a highlight to cars, trucks, tractor trucks for trailers and semi-trailers, bodies for trucks and buses, car parts and trailers and semi-trailers.

Other relevant negative contributions to the national overall came from computer, electronic and optical products (-33.9%), coke, petroleum products and biofuels (-6.9%), pharmochemicals and pharmaceuticals (-24.0%), machinery and equipment (-10.6%), wearing apparel and accessories (-19.7%), fabricated metal products (-12.8%), food products (-3.2%),non-metallic mineral products (-9.5%), basic metals (-6.0%), rubber and plastic products (-7.0%), beverages (-6.7%), other chemicals (-4.3%), furniture (-16.1%), electrical machinery and apparatus (7.3%).

On the other hand, still comparing with February 2014, among the two activities that increased production, the main impact was seen in mining and quarrying industries (11.9%), leveraged to a great extent by the advances in the items pelletized iron ores, crude petroleum oil and raw or processed iron ore.

Comparing with the same month a year ago, durable consumer goods, (-25.8%) and capital goods (-25.7%) recorded, in February 2015, the sharpest drops among the major economic categories. The segments of semi- and non-durable consumer goods (8.9%) and of intermediate goods (-4.0%) also recorded negative rates this month, but both with decrease intensity lower than the national average (-9.1%).

The segment of durable consumer goods fell 25.8% in the monthly index of February 2015, the twelfth negative rate in a row in this kind of comparison and the sharpest since June 2014 (-32.8%). This month, the sector was particularly influenced by the lower manufacture of cars (-27.2%), still due to the reduction in the working hours and by the granting of collective vacation in several producing units. Other important negative impacts came from brown goods (-42.9%), white goods (-20.9%), motorcycles (-19.1%) and furniture (-17.0%). In contrast, the main positive influence was seen in the group other house appliances (13.7%), leveraged at a great extent by the rise in the manufacture of portable appliances (vacuum cleaner, blender, juicer, mixer and the like).

The sector of capital goods (-25.7%) also recorded the twelfth negative consecutive rate in the monthly index and posted the sharpest decrease since April 2009 (-27.4%). In the formation of the index this month, the segment was influenced by the drops seen in all groups, with a clear highlight to the reduction of 33.3% in capital goods for transportation equipment, especially pushed by the lower manufacture of trucks, tractor trucks for trailers and semi-trailers, trailers and semi-trailers, vehicles for transportation of goods, buses and trailers and semi-trailers.

The decrease in the output of semi- and non-durable consumer goods (-8.9%) in February 2015 was the fifth negative consecutive result in the comparison with the same month a year ago and the most intense since January 2009 (-10.9%). The performance this month was mostly due to the falls in the non-durable groups (-15.1%), food and beverages for domestic consumption (-5.9%) and semi-durable goods (10.3%). It is worth highlighting the negative result recorded by the sector of fuels (-5.1%), influenced by the lesser manufacture of motor gasoline.

In the comparison with the same month a year ago, the production of intermediate goods (-4.0%) recorded the twelfth consecutive negative rate and the sharpest since November last year (-6.0%).

Industry accumulates drop of 7.1% in the year.

In the cumulative index for the January-February period of 2015, over the same period in the previous year, the industrial sector posted a decrease of 7.1%, with widespread fall, reaching the four major economic categories, 24 of the 26 activities, 63 of the 79 groups and 69.2% of the 805 products surveyed. Among the sectors, the main negative impact was seen in motor vehicles, trailers and bodies (-24.7%), pushed to a great extent by the reduction in the production of approximately 90% of the products surveyed in the activity.

Other negative relevant contributions to the national overall came from the sectors of computer, electronic and optical products (-29.4%), coke, petroleum products and biofuels (-6.5%), machinery and equipment (-10.0%), pharmochemicals and pharmaceuticals (-19.2%), fabricated metal products (-11.5%), wearing apparel and accessories (-17.1%), food products (-2.9%), other chemicals (-5.6%), non-metallic mineral products (-7.2%), basic metals (-4.7%) rubber and plastic products (-6.0%).

On the other hand, among the two activities that increased production, the main impact was seen in mining and quarrying industries (10.9%), leveraged to a great extent by the advances in the items pelletized iron ores and crude petroleum oil.

Among the major economic categories, the behavior of the results for the first two months of 2015 recorded lower dynamism for capital goods (-21.1%) and durable consumer goods
(-20.1%), pushed especially by the reduction in the manufacture of capital goods for transportation equipment (-27.8%), in the first category, and of cars (-22.0%), in the second one. The segments of semi- and non-durable consumer goods (-6.9%) and of intermediate goods (-3.2%) also recorded negative rates in the cumulative index in the year, but both with less intense drops than the one seen in the national average (-7.1%).