Rio - Industrial production in Brazil ended the month of August up 1.1%, compared with July. This was the sixth consecutive month-to-month advance in the series free of seasonal effects. During the first eight months of 2004, industrial expansion amounted to an expressive 8.8%.

These statistics are part of the Monthly Industrial Survey of Physical Production - Brazil, released on Monday (11) by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The figures also indicate a 13.1% increase in the year-to-year comparison (August 2003/August 2004), the twelfth positive variation in a row.

In addition to maintaining the sequence of month-to-month advances, August's 1.1%¨growth reflects expansion in twelve of the 23 activities surveyed by the IBGE and in three of the four use categories.

Among the 23 activities, the largest increases occurred in the sectors of petroleum refining and alcohol production (1.1%), other chemical products (1.8%), and electronic material and communications equipment (4.8%). In the use categories, the outstanding performers were capital goods (up 2.3% between July and August) and durable consumer goods (up 2.2%). According to the IBGE, both these categories have evidenced positive results since March, 2004, during which period they have presented cumulative increases of 14% and 17%, respectively.

Agência Brasil
Reporter: Nielmar de Oliveira
Translator: David Silberstein
10/13/2004