MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazilian industrial production rose in November for the third month running

On a monthly basis, half of the 24 industrial sectors surveyed showed an output increase, primarily influenced by pharmaceutical products (+6.5%)

Brazilian industrial production rose 0.2% in November from a month before, at the same rate as in September and October, surprising market analysts who expected stability. It was the third monthly increase in a row in the industrial output.

 On a monthly basis, half of the 24 industrial sectors surveyed showed an output increase, primarily influenced by pharmaceutical products (+6.5%) and soaps, cleaning and personal hygiene products (+1.9%). At the negative side, the highlight was a 5.7% decline in beverages production.

Capital goods output remained stable in November after rising for seven consecutive months, while semi-durable and non-durable consumer goods fell by 1.6%. The production of intermediate goods rose 1.4%, while durable consumer goods output increased by 2.5%.

On an annual comparison, the Brazilian industrial output increased in November for the seventh month in a row, at a 4.7% rate, above market expectations (+3.7%). From January to November, the industrial production was 2.3% higher than in the same period a year earlier.

In the year-on-year comparison, 20 out of the 26 sectors surveyed showed positive results in production, with emphasis on metallurgy (+10.3%), other chemical products (+7.1%) and food products (+ 2.4%).

Meanwhile, capital goods production (+8.1%) and intermediate goods (+4.2%) rose for the seventh consecutive month increased by 3.0%, in its fifth advance in a row. The production of durable consumer goods posted its thirteenth straight advance, by 15.2%.

Brazilian industrial output rose by 2.2% in 12 months through November.

Meanwhile the Brazilian auto industry Anfavea reported that auto production tumbled 14.2% in December from the previous month, though new car sales rose 4.1% in monthly terms. Anfavea described the auto-making recovery as volatile.

Auto production rose 6.9% in December from the same month the year before. Production in 2017 overall jumped 25.2% from the previous year, while new car sales climbed 9.2% from 2016 to 2.24 million units.