In May 2017, the national industrial output recorded advance of 0.8% over April (seasonally-adjusted series). It is the second positive rate in a row, causing a cumulative rate of 1.9% in the period, which eliminated the 1.6% drop seen in March. In the comparison with the same month a year ago (seasonally-adjusted series), the industry total pointed out an expansion of 4.0% in May 2017, the sharpest advance since February 2014 (4.8%).

In the first five months of 2017, the industrial sector posted a cumulative increase of 0.5%. Having retreated 2.4% in May 2017, the annualized rate – cumulative indicator in the last 12 months – maintained the reduction in the pace of decline started in June 2016 (-9.7%). The complete publication of the Monthly Survey of Industry (PIM-PF) can be accessed here.

See the complete release in the document on the right side of the page (in Portuguese).

Source: IBGE, Diretoria de Pesquisas, Coordenação de Indústria.
*Seasonally-adjusted series

17 of 24 sectors surveyed registered positive figures in May 2017

The 0.8% growth of the industrial activity from April to May 2017 was dominated by positive figures, reaching all the four major economic categories and 17 out of the 24 sectors surveyed. Among the sectors, the main positive influence was recorded by motor vehicles, which advanced 9.0%, influenced, to a great extent, by the greater manufacture of cars and trucks. The result for this month was the highest for the segment since December 2016 (10.4%) and intensified the 3.9% expansion seen in the previous month.

Other important positive contributions on the industry total came from food products (2.7%) and toiletries, soaps, cleaning and personal hygiene articles (4.0%), with the first offsetting the   0.6% drop seen in the previous month; and the second reaching the third consecutive month of growth in the production with a 8.5% cumulative gain in this period.

Among the sectors that reduced the output this month, the most relevant performances for the global rate were recorded by coke, petroleum products and biofuels (-2.2%) and pharmaceuticals (-7.6%). These activities posted positive rates last April: 1.9% and 13.9%, respectively.

Among the major economic categories, month on moth, durable consumer goods (6.7%) and capital goods (3.5%) posted the sharpest positive figures in May 2017 and intensified April's growth: 2.9% and 1.9%, respectively. The segments of semi- and non- durable consumer goods (0.7%) and of intermediate goods (0.3%) also had expansion this month, with the former interrupting three months in a row of production decrease. In this period, it accumulated a loss of 3.3%; the latter recorded the second positive result in a row and accumulated in this period a gain of 2.3%.

Quarterly moving average changes 0.1%

In the seasonally adjusted series, the evolution of the quarterly moving average index for the industry overall had a positive change of 0.1% in the quarter ended in May 2017 against the previous month, after recording two consecutive months of negative results: March (-0.5%) and April (-0.2%).

Among the major economic categories, in relation to the movement of this index on margin, capital goods (1.2%) recorded the sharpest advance this month and kept the upward trend started in February. Durable consumer goods (0.6%) recorded the only positive rate in May 2017, after advancing 0.8% in April. The segments of semi- and non- durable consumer goods (-0.4%) and of intermediate goods (-0.1%) recorded the negative rates in May 2017, with the first sector presenting drops for the second consecutive month and accumulating a loss of 1.5% in this period; the latter remained in the downward trend started in February 2017.

Industrial output grows 4.0% in relation to May 2016

Compared with May 2016, the industrial sector expanded 4.0% in May 2017, recording positive figures in all four major economic categories, 18 out of the 26 sectors, 51 out of the 79 groups and 59.0% of the 805 products surveyed. Among the activities, motor vehicles, trailers and bodies (27.9%) exerted the highest positive influence on the industry average, pressed to a great extent by the items: cars, tractor trucks, vehicles for transportation of goods, trucks, tractor trucks for trailers and semi-trailers, trucks and car pieces.

Other relevant positive contributions on the national total came from computer, electronic and optical products (25.9%), machinery and equipment (8.9%), mining and quarrying industries (2.8%), basic metals (6.1%), tobacco products (40.6%), leather articles, travel goods and footwear (14.2%), manufacture of wearing apparel and accessories (11.1%), maintenance, repair and installation of machinery and equipment (13.2%) and textiles (9.5%).

Still considering the comparison with May 2016, among the seven activities with output reduction, the main influences on the total of the industry were recorded by coke, petroleum derivatives and biofuels (-4.1%), electrical machinery and apparatus (-7.0%), non-metallic mineral products (-3.8%), pharmaceuticals (-5.3%) and other transportation equipment (-8.5%).

Durable consumer goods (20.7%), in the comparison with the same month a year ago, recorded, in May 2017, the sharpest expansion among the major economic categories. The segments of capital goods (7.6%) also grew over the national average (4.0%), whereas the segments of intermediate goods (2.9%) and of semi- and non- durable consumer goods (1.4%) closed the set of positive rates this month.

The segment of durable consumer goods increased 20.7% in the monthly index of May 2017, recording the seventh consecutive positive figure in this type of comparison and also the highest since February 2014 (23.3%). This month, the sector was particularly leveraged by the advances in car production (35.1%) and brown goods (26.8%). It is worth mentioning the positive results seen in the groups of furniture (4.7%) and other household appliances (2.2%). On the other hand, the groups of white goods (-4.3%) and motorcycles (-14.8%) posted the most important negative impacts.

The sector of capital goods advanced 7.6% in May 2017, after going down 4.7% last April, when it and interrupted five months of consecutive positive rates in the comparison with the same month a year ago. The segment was influenced by the advances seen in the majority of its groups, with a highlight to the expansion of capital goods for transportation equipment (16.0%).

In the comparison with the same month last year, the segment of intermediate goods grew 2.9% in May 2017, after advancing 3.3% last April. This month result was explained, mainly, by the advances seen in products associated to the activities of motor vehicles, trailers and bodies (19.3%), machinery and equipment (23.1%), basic metals (6.1%), mining and quarrying industries (2.8%), rubber and plastic (2.6%), textiles (6.4%), metal products (2.2%) and pulp, paper and paper products (2.5%), whereas the negative pressures were recorded by coke, petroleum products and biofuels (-1.9%), non-metallic mineral products (-3.8%) and food products (-0.2%).

The production of semi- and non-durable consumer goods advanced 1.4% in May 2017, after registering decrease of 8.6% last April. The performance this month was explained to a great extent by the reduced manufacturing of the group of semi-durable goods (13.5%). The sub-sectors of food and beverages for domestic consumption (0.7%) and of non-durable goods (0.8%) also recorded positive results this month.

In January-May 2017, industry changes 0.5%

Compared with the same period in the previous year, the cumulative index for the January-May 2017 period increased 0.5%, registering positive figures in two out of the four major economic categories, 13 out of the 26 sectors, 42 out of the 79 groups and 52.2% of the 805 products surveyed.

Among the activities, motor vehicles, trailers and bodies (13.0%) and mining and quarrying industries (6.3%) exerted the highest positive influence on the industrial average. Other relevant positive contributions came from computer equipment, electronic and optical products (19.7%), basic metals (4.5%) and manufacture of wearing apparel and accessories (6.6%) and machinery and equipment (2.6%). Among the thirteen activities that had decrease in the production, coke, petroleum products and biofuels (-8.1%) and food products (-4.6%) exerted the major negative influences in the average formation of the industrial average.

Among the major economic categories, the profile of results for the first five months of 2017 had a greater dynamism for the segments of durable consumer goods (11.0%) and capital goods (3.5%), leveraged, to a large extent, by the increasing manufacture of cars (18.4%) and household appliances (12.1%), in the former; and of capital goods for agriculture (24.8%), and for construction (24.0%) and for mixed use (11.6%), in the latter.

In the two big groups, there is influence of the low comparison basis, given that in the January-May period of 2016 these segments recorded drops of 24.7% and 22.0%, respectively. On the other hand, the segments of semi and non-durable consumer goods (-1.2%) and intermediate goods (-0.3%) also registered negative figures in the cumulative index of the year 2017.