In April 2022, the national industrial output changed by 0.1% against March 2022, the seasonally-adjusted series. That is the third positive result in a row, with a cumulative increase of 1.4% in the period. In this comparison, two of the four major economic categories and 16 of 26 sectors surveyed recorded increases.

As for April 2021, there was a decrease of 0.5%, ninth consecutive positive rate in this type of comparison, but the least significant in the series. Industry retreated 3.4% in the cumulative index in the year against the same indicator in 2021. The cumulative index in 12 months fell 0.3% in April and represented the first negative result since March 2021 (-3.1%), still on a downward trend since August 2021 (7.2%).

Among the activities, the most relevant positive influences were those of coke, petroleum products and biofuels (4.6%), beverages (5.2%) and other chemicals (2.8%), with the first one increasing again after two consecutive months of decrease, a period which had a cumulative loss of 2.6%; and the last two ones recording the third consecutive month of increase and cumulative advances of 18.9% and 10.9%, respectively. Other positive contributions were those of pharmaceutical products (4.8%), rubber products and plastic material (2.6%), metal products (2.5%) and pulp, paper and paper products (1.6%).

On the other hand, among the ten activities recording decrease, food products (-4.1%) and motor vehicles, trailers and bodies (-4.2%) accounted for the main impacts, with the former having a more significant decrease in the previous month (-2.7%); and the latter making up for the increase of 11.3%, cumulative in the months of February and March. It is worth mentioning the decreases in the fields of machinery and equipment (-3.4%), tobacco products (-12.0%), other transportation equipment (-8.4%), computer equipment, electronic and optical products (-3.6%) and basic metals (-1.2%).

Among the major economic categories, still in comparison with the previous month, semi and non-durable goods (2.3%) and intermediate goods (0.8%) accounted for the positive rates. On the other hand, producers of capital goods (-9.2%) and of semi- and non-durable consumer goods (-5.5%) recorded decreases in the month, with both of them interrupting the two consecutive months of production increase, when they had cumulative losses of 12.1% and 3.8%, respectively.

Quarterly moving average stays at 0.5% in quarter ended April

Still concerning the seasonally adjusted series, the evolution of the quarterly moving average index for the industry overall recorded an increase of 0.5% in the quarter ended in April 2022 against the level of the previous month, after a negative change of 0.2% last March, when it interrupted the downward trend initiated in November 2021.

Among the major economic categories, intermediate goods (1.2%) and capital goods (0.6%) accounted for the main positive rates. Producers of semi and non-durable goods (0.1%) also recorded an increase in the month. On the other hand, the segment of durable consumer goods (-0.6%) recorded the only negative result and kept the ovement of decrease observed in the months of March (-3.1%) and February (-0.7%) 2022.

Industry declines 0.5% from April 2021

Compared with the same month last year, the industrial sector dropped 0.5% in April 2022, with negative figures in two of the four major economic categories, 18 of the 26 sectors, 36 out of the 79 groups and 49.4% of the 805 products surveyed. It is worth mentioning that April 2022 (19 days) had one business day less than the same month in the previous year (20).

Among the activities, the main negative contributions were registered by motor vehicles, trailers and bodies (-7.6%), food products (-4.7%), electrical machines, appliances and material (-16.7%) and fabricated metal products (-11.3%). A highlight is the negative contributions of the sectors of machinery and equipment (-6.3%), rubber products and plastic material (-7.6%), basic metals (-4.3%), non-metallic mineral products (5.1%), fabric (-9.9%), wood products (-9.9%), furniture (-11.6%) and miscellaneous products (-10.0%).

Among the eight rising activities that rcorded increase in production, coke, petroleum products and biofuels (19.9%) exerted the biggest influence. Other positive impacts were recorded by other chemicals (11.0%), beverages (13.2%) and pulp, paper and paper products (2.8%).

Among the major economic categories, durable consumer goods (-13.2%) and capital goods (-5.1%) recorded negtive increases in April 2022. On the other hand, producers of semi-durable and non-durable goods (3.3%) and of intermediate goods (0.1%) advanced in the month.

The sector that produce durable consumer goods retreated 13.2% in April 2022 against the same period a year ago, the ninth consecutive negative figure in this type of comparison. The production of capital goods recorded a decrease of 5.15, after an increase of 4.9% in March, when it interrupted a series of two consecutive months of decrease.

The segment of intermediate goods recorded a positive change of 0.1% against April 2021, and interrupted, this way, eight consecutive months of negative rates. The sector of semi and non-durable consumer goods advanced 3.3%, interrupting a period of nine consecutive months of negative rates in this type of comparison.

In the year, industry declined 3.4%, with drops in all the major categories

In the cumulative index of January-April 2022, against the same product a year ago, industry decreased by 3.4%, with negative results in all the major economic categories, 19 of the 26 subsectors, 57 of the 79 groups and 63.1% of the 805 products surveyed.

Among the activities, the main negative influences were registered by motor vehicles, trailers and bodies (-9.6%), rubber products and plastic material (-13.5%), fabricated metal products (-15.0%) and electrical machines, appliances and material (-18.6%). It is also worth highlighting the negative contributions registered by the sectors of fabric (-19.2%), basic metals (-4.7%), furniture (-25.0%), manufacture of wearing apparel and accessories (-13.1%), non-metallic mineral products (-5.1%), machinery and equipment (-3.5%), pharmaceuticals (-7.7%), leather, travel articles and footwear (-10.4%), mining and quarrying industry (-1.3%) toiletries, soaps, cleaning and personal hygiene products (-7.6%).

Among the six activities that recorded increases, coke, petroleum products and biofuels (9.4%) accounted for the main influence. Other important positive impacts were those of other chemicals (2.1%) and beverages (2.7%).

Considering major economic categories, there was more dynamism in the case of durable consumer goods (-17.0%), due to decreases observed in manufacture of cars (-14.2%) and white goods (-25.7%) and brown goods (-18.0%). The segments of capital goods (-3.0%), intermediate goods (-2.5%) and semi and non-durable goods (-2.5%) also recorded negative results but all of them with smaller decreases that the industry average (-3.47%).