Brasília, October 24, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Foreign direct investments came to US$ 739 million in September. Of this total, US$ 88 million are attributable to conversion operations, said the head of the Economic Department of the Central Bank, Altamir Lopes, Thursday (23), when he released the monthly report on the External Sector.

Lopes said that investments related to capital participation attained US$ 823 million, the result of US$ 1.7 billion in inflows and US$ 860 million in outflows. Brazilian direct investments abroad returned US$ 416 million, raising the positive balance of total direct investments to US$ 1.2 billion.

Net income remittances abroad amounted to US$ 1.021 billion last month, 10% less than in September, 2002. These remittances total US$ 12.343 billion so far this year. Net interest expenses, US$ 776 million, fell 5.6% in comparison with the US$ 822 million registered in September, 2002, and add up to US$ 8.940 billion so far this year. Expenditures on profits and dividends came to US$ 255 million. (DAS)