In the seasonally-adjusted series, the national industrial output fell 0.7% in August 2021 against July, registering the third negative result in a row and accumulating a loss of 2.3% in this period. It dropped 0.7% in relation to August 2020, interrupting eleven consecutive months of positive rates in this comparison. In the year, the industry accumulated a rise of 9.2% and, in 12 months, of 7.2%, stepping up the growth of July (7.0%) and maintaining the upward trend since August 2020 (-5.7%).

The retreat of 0.7% in the industrial activity over the previous month was widespread, with negative rates reaching three of four major economic categories and 15 out of 26 segments surveyed.

Among the activities, the most important negative influences came from other chemicals (-6.4%), stepping up the retreats of July (-1.8%) and June (-1.0%); coke, petroleum products and biofuels (-2.6%), interrupting three consecutive months of positive rates, period in which it accumulated a rise of 9.8%; motor vehicles, trailers and bodies (-3.1%), posting the fourth consecutive month of drop in the production and accumulating a loss of 9.5% in this period; and pharm-chemicals and pharmaceutical (-9.3%), offsetting part of the advance of 12.4% registered in the May-July 2021 period.

Other activities that negatively impacted on the overall index were computer equipment, electronic and optical products (-4.2%), electrical machines, devices and material (-2.0%), rubber and plastic products (-1.1%), manufacture of wearing apparel and accessories (-1.6%) and pulp, paper and paper products (-0.8%).

Among the 11 activities that rose, food products (2.1%), beverages (7.6%) and mining and quarrying industries (1.3%) exerted the major positive impacts in August 2021. It is also worth highlighting the positive results reported by the sectors of basic metals (1.1%), wood products (3.0%) and textiles (2.1%).

Among the major economic categories, still in relation to July, durable consumer goods retreated 3.4%, registering the eighth consecutive month of reduction and accumulating a drop of 25.5%. The segments of capital goods (-0.8%) and of intermediate goods (-0.6%) also declined, the former interrupting four consecutive months of positive figures, a period in which it accumulated a rise of 6.2%; and the latter with the fifth consecutive negative rate, retreating 3.9% in this period. On the other hand, the sector of semi and non-durable consumer goods (0.7%) reported the only positive rate, thus stepping up the advance of 0.5% recorded in July.

Quarterly moving average falls 0.8% in quarter ended in August

Still in the seasonally-adjusted series, the quarterly moving average for the whole industry fell 0.8% in the quarter ended in August 2021 against the previous month and thus maintained the downward trend started in January 2021.

Among the major economic categories, still in relation to July, durable consumer goods dropped 2.5%, maintaining the downward trend started in December 2020. The segments of intermediate goods (-0.6%) and of semi and non-durable consumer goods (-0.2%) also recorded negative figures, the former registering the sixth consecutive month of drops and accumulating a reduction of 3.3%; and the latter interrupting two consecutive months of expansion, a period in which it accumulated a growth of 1.4%. Conversely, the sector producing capital goods (0.5%) recorded the only positive rate in August 2021, after advancing in July (1.0%) and June (1.7%) as well.

Industry declines 0.7% over August 2020

Compared with August 2020, the industrial sector retreated 0.7%, with negative figures in three out of four major economic categories, 14 out of 26 sectors, 37 out of 79 groups and 46.0% of the 805 products surveyed. It is worth mentioning that August 2021 (22 days) had one more business day than the same month in the prior year (21).

Among the activities, the major negative influences came from food products (-7.4%) and coke, petroleum products and biofuels (-5.2%). Other negative contributions came from rubber and plastic products (-6.6%), beverages (-6.4%), computer equipment, electronic and optical products (-10.1%), other chemicals (-3.4%), mining and quarrying industries (-1.6%), tobacco products (-23.3%), furniture (-12.9%) and fabricated metal products (-3.4%).

Among the 12 activities that rose, machinery and equipment (23.7%) and basic metals (20.0%) exerted the biggest influences. Other important positive impacts were registered by the sectors of motor vehicles, trailers and bodies (3.6%), non-metallic mineral products (5.6%), manufacture of wearing apparel and accessories (8.5%), printing and reproduction of recorded media (39.1%), leather, traveling goods and footwear (8.5%), wood products (9.8%) and other transportation equipment (13.7%).

Among the major economic categories, the biggest drop over August 2020 was in durable consumer goods (-17.3%). The sectors producing intermediate goods (-2.1%) and semi and non-durable consumer goods (-0.8%) also reported negative figures, both of them registering more intense retreats than that recorded by the industry average (-0.7%). Having advanced 29.9%, the segment of capital goods registered the only positive rate.

The sector of durable consumer goods retreated 17.3% over the same month a year ago, stepping up the drop of 9.6% of July, when it interrupted four months of positive rates in a row. The sector was pressed by the reduction in the manufacture of cars (-27.8%) and brown goods (-29.1%). It is also worth mentioning the retreats registered by white goods (-11.9%) and furniture (-13.1%). On the other hand, the major positive impacts came from the increased manufacture of motorcycles (23.2%) and other household appliances (6.6%).

The production of intermediate goods fell 2.1%, interrupting 13 consecutive months of positive rates in this comparison. The August´s result was mainly explained by the retreats in the activities of food products (-12.2%), coke, petroleum products and biofuels (-9.5%), rubber and plastic products (-5.8%), other chemicals (-3.4%), mining and quarrying industries (-1.6%), pulp, paper and paper products (-3.3%) and fabricated metal products (-1.4%).

Conversely, the positive pressures were registered by basic metals (20.0%), non-metallic mineral products (5.8%), machinery and equipment (10.9%), textiles (2.6%) and motor vehicles, trailers and bodies (0.4%). Also in this economic category, it is worth mentioning the results of the  groups of typical inputs for  civil construction (1.4%), with the fourteenth positive rate in a row in this comparison, but the least sharp in the sequence; and of packaging (-2.2%), which registered the third consecutive retreat in the production.

The segment of semi and non-durable consumer goods dropped 0.8% in August 2021, after also retreating in July (-1.9%), when it interrupted four months of positive rates in a row. The negative performance this month was mainly explained by the reduction in the group of food and beverages produced for domestic consumption (-3.4%). The negative result in the group of semi-durable (-0.7%) also stood out. On the other hand, the sub-sectors of fuels (4.8%) and non-durable (0.7%) recorded positive rates.

The sector of capital goods advanced 29.9% in August 2021 over the same period in 2020, the 12th positive rate in a row. Most groups registered rises, especially in the group of capital goods for transportation equipment (40.0%). The other positive rates came from capital goods for agriculture (43.9%), for construction (67.7%), for industry (5.3%) and for mixed use (14.7%). On the other hand, the only negative impact was exerted by the sub-sector of capital goods for electricity (-1.8%).

In the cumulative index of the year, all major economic categories recorded rises

The cumulative index for the year, against the same period a year ago, reached 9.2%, with positive figures 4 out of 4 major economic categories, 21 out of 26 sectors, 62 out of 79 groups and 70.6% of the 805 products surveyed.

Among the activities, motor vehicles, trailers and bodies (42.6%),  machinery and equipment (36.8%), basic metals (25.0%), and  non-metallic minerals (23.9%) exerted the major positive influences on the industrial average. Other positive contributions came from  other chemicals (8.5%), fabricated metal products (16.0%), rubber and plastic products (14.3%), manufacture of wearing apparel and accessories (31.3%), electrical machines, devices and material (15.6%), textiles (25.5%), leather, traveling goods and footwear (24.2%), wood products (18.9%), miscellaneous products (22.9%), beverages (5.8%), other transportation equipment (23.7%) and computers, electronic and optical products (8.4%). Among the five activities that reduced their output, the major influence was registered by food products (-6.9%).

Among the major economic categories, capital goods (41.3%) and durable consumer goods (19.9%) showed more dynamism, leveraged, to a great extent, by the increasing manufacture of capital goods for transportation equipment (61.5%), for industry (23.2%), for agriculture (47.3%) and for construction (67.0%) in the former; and of cars (24.1%) and white goods (21.3%) in the latter. The segments of intermediate goods (7.4%) and semi and non-durable consumer goods (3.7%) also rose in the year, though below the industry average (9.2%).