MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil trade surplus in April, the second largest ever recorded for the month

Exports in April were led by sales of commodities, manufactured goods and semi-manufactured goods

Brazil posted a trade surplus of US$ 6.06 billion in April, the Economy Ministry said, which is wider than the previous month. It was the second largest surplus ever recorded for the month of April and the biggest monthly surplus so far this year, a result of exports totaling US$ 19.69 billion and imports of US$ 13.63 billion.

Compared to April last year, Brazil’s trade surplus rose 2.3%.

Exports in April were led by sales of commodities, manufactured goods and semi-manufactured goods, while imports of capital goods and consumer goods fell 10% and 6.6%, respectively, the Economy Ministry said.

The total surplus for the first four months of 2019 stood at US$ 16.58 billion, down 8.7% from the US$ 18.165 billion registered in the same period a year ago thanks to a steeper fall in exports than imports.

In the 12 months to April, Brazil’s trade surplus was US$ 57.07 billion, down 10.5% from the US$ 63.79 billion surplus posted in the 12 months to April last year.

All else being equal, a widening trade surplus boosts economic growth, and a narrowing surplus or deficit is a drag on growth. Brazil’s central bank cut its 2019 growth forecast in March to 2% from 2.4%, noting that net trade is expected to shave 0.2 percentage points off overall growth.