The US$ 1.217 billion trade surplus in the fourth week of February was more than double the previous week’s figure of US$ 579 million. Export performance was stronger, bringing in revenues of US$ 2.920 billion, as against US$ 1.703 billion in import expenses.
As a result, the trade surplus (exports minus imports) for the month rose to US$ 2.822 billion, slightly higher than the US$ 2.776 billion surplus registered in February, 2005, and nearly equal to the US$ 2.844 surplus obtained in January of this year. There were 22 business days in January, compared with only 18 in February.
So far this year, exports have totaled US$ 18.021 billion, 18.6% more than during the same period last year. Although imports, amounting to US$ 12.355 billion, have grown even faster, at a rate of 20.7%, foreign business as a whole has been sufficient to lift the trade surplus in the first two months of the year to US$ 5.666 billion, 14.16% more than in 2005.
The overall trade balance figures, which were announced, this Thursday, March 2, by the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry, and Foreign Trade, also indicate that the cumulative surplus over the past 12 months (March, 2005 to February, 2006) comes to US$ 45.463 billion.
ABr