After a sequence of three positive results, the industrial production in January fell by 1.3% compared to December 2005, after being seasonally adjusted. Nevertheless, the quarterly moving average index maintains a growing trend.In comparison with January 2005, industry increased by 3.2%. The accumulated indicator in the last twelve months continues falling,changing from 3.1% in December to 2.9% in January.

The decrease of 1.3% between December and January included twelve among twenty-three groups that have seasonally adjusted series and three among four categories of use. Among the industries that reduced the production, the most important figures came from automotive vehicles (-7.6%), pharmaceuticals (-10.2%) and electric machines, equipment and material (-6.1%). These three groups grew, respectively, in December: 5.6%, 8.7% and 8.1%. Among the industries that grew from December to January, the highlights were: mining and quarrying (1.6%), which reached its major result in the seasonally adjusted time series, beverages (2.9%) and apparel (4.9%).

Still in the comparison with December 2005, by categories of use, the indexes are negative for durable consumer goods (-5.7%), capital goods (-3.6%) and semi-durable and non-durable consumer goods (-1.8%), while the production of intermediate goods (0.4%) indicated the only positive rate. The fall observed in the manufacturing of durable consumer goods came after the increase of 17.7% in the previous month. The same occurred with capital goods that fell after two months of expansion, a period in which it accumulated an increase of 10.3%. The reduction observed in semi-durable and non-durable consumer goods broke a sequence of three positive results, which represented a growth of 6.0% in the comparison December 2005/September 2005.

This reduction in the productive rhythm of the overall indicator after three months of positive rates, when industry accumulated 3.6% of growth, does not change the trend of the quarterly moving average index, which continues increasing, presenting change of 0.6% between January and December. This trend can be observed in all the categories of use. Consumer durable goods (2.8%) and capital goods (2.0%), showed a greater acceleration, while intermediate goods (0.6%) and semi-durable and non-durable goods (0.9%) had a slower increase.

The comparison January 2006/ January 2005 showed increase of 3.2%, the fourth consecutive positive result. Mining and quarrying (12.8%) was the main item in the formation of the overall rate and was positively influenced by the items iron ore and petroleum. In the manufacturing industry (2.7%), nineteen among twenty-six surveyed groups grew. Among them, stood out the industries of machines for office and computer equipment (77.7%), electric machines, equipment and material (21.3%), electronic material and communication equipment (14.3%) and basic metallurgy (5.4%). In these sectors, the main highlights were the items: computers; transformers; television sets; and special iron slugs, blocks and ingots. Among the seven groups with decrease, the highlight was edition and printing (-13,8%).

For the total industry, compared to the index of the fourth quarter of the previous year (1.3%), the result of January showed a more accelerated rhythm (3.2%). This trend can also be observed in twenty-two surveyed groups. By categories of use, the gain of rhythm was more intense in durable consumer goods, which after an increase of 4.9% in the last quarter of 2005, registered a rate of 18.4% in January. In this performance stood out, mainly, the increase in the rhythm of production of automobiles, which changed from 11.7% in the fourth quarter of 2005, to 21.1%, in January, of household appliances (from –6.4% to 18.9%) and of mobile telephones (from 7.9% to 14.0%). In capital goods, there was increase from 4.2% to 6.8%, while intermediate goods changed from fall of 0.2% to increase of 2.9%. The production of semi-durable and non-durable consumer goods was the only one which lost acceleration in the periods in comparison: from 2.1% in the fourth quarter of 2005 to 0.2% in January of this year. This result was due to the fall in the subsector of other non-durable goods (from 7.8% to –2.5%), which was influenced by items produced by the industries of edition and printing and pharmaceuticals.

In the comparison January 2006/ January 2005, the indexes by categories of use showed the leadership of durable consumer goods (18.4%), with a rhythm considerably above the one of the overall industry (3.2%). This performance was a consequence of the production of automobiles (21.1%), as well as of household appliances (18.9%) and of mobile telephones (14.0%). The segment of capital goods (6.8%), even under the negative impact coming from capital goods for transportation (-8.8%), machines and equipment for industrial use (-2.6%) and agricultural goods (-21.9%), increased above the overall average and indicated the sixth consecutive positive result in this type of comparison, mainly due to the performance of its other subsectors: capital goods for mixed use (13.9%), capital goods for electricity (47.0%) and capital goods for construction (25.1%).

The production of intermediate goods increased by 2.9% in relation to January 2005 as a consequence, mainly, of the groups elaborated industrial inputs (2.8%), basic industrial inputs (13.9%) and basic lubricants and fuels (13.9%). In these subsectors, stood out, respectively: herbicides and cement; iron ore; and petroleum crude oils. It is also worth mentioning the positive rates of packaging (0.8%) and construction inputs (7.2%).

The segment of semi-durable and non-durable consumer goods repeated the level of production of January 2005 (0.2%), influenced by the decrease in the subsector of other non-durable consumer goods (-2.5%), which practically nullified the influence of the growth observed in food products and elaborated beverages for domestic consumption (2.1%).

The annualized rate, measured by the accumulated indicator in the last twelve months, continued decelerating, although in a lower rhythm: after indicating expansion of 3.5% in November and 3.1% in December, it reached 2.,9% in last January. The sector of capital goods (3.6%) maintained the rhythm of the previous month and intermediate goods (from 1.0% to 0.9%) also continued stable. The segment of semi-durable and non-durable consumer goods (3.8%) showed deceleration in the rhythm of growth compared to December (4.6%). The production of durable consumer goods (12.5%) was the only one with gain in the rhythm in relation to December (11.4%).

In summary, the industrial performance in the beginning of 2006 indicated slight stability in the rhythm of activity, expressed by the fall of 1.3% in the comparison January/ December, after three months in which the sector accumulated increase of 3.6%. As a consequence, the trend of the quarterly moving average, although loosing acceleration, continued positive, not only in the total of the industry as well as in the four categories of use. Between November and December, there was increase of 1.2% of this indicator for the total of industry, a rate which had been 0.6% in the comparison January/December.