Brazilian container imports up 6.48% in January compared to same month of 2020

DataLiner data for the month of January released on Monday, March 1 indicate that for the first month of the year, Brazilian container imports surpassed exports by 11.77%, reversing a trend observed in 2020 of higher exports vs. imports. 2020 exports were 25.42% higher than imports. See the graph below:

Brazilian Imports and Exports via container | Jan 2020 to Jan 2021 | TEU

Source: DataLiner

Brazilian container imports grew 6.48% in January compared to the same month in 2020 and grew 22.33% compared to January 2019, although they were 7.29% lower than the values ​​observed in December 2020.

The chart below shows a comparison of Brazilian container imports for the last six years:

Brazilian Imports | Jan 2016-2021 | TEU

Source: DataLiner

Exports, on the other hand, grew less: up just 2.69% in January compared to January 2020. In relation to January 2019, the growth was 6.02%. Even so, it was the highest volume in the last six years, 206,576 TEU. See this comparison in the graph below:

Brazilian Exports | Jan 2016-2021 | TEU

Source: DataLiner

US$ 1.152 billion trade surplus in February

Compared to last month, the import of an oil platform resulted in the lowest trade balance for February in seven years. In February 2021, Brazil exported US$ 1.152 billion more than it imported. This figure is 50.4% lower than February 2019 and represents the lowest trade balance for the month of February since 2014.

Including February’s results, the year-to-date trade balance for the first two months of 2021 is US$ 27 million. In January, the year-to-date indicator had registered a deficit of US$ 1.125 billion.

The first two months of 2021 represent the lowest cumulative trade balance for the period since 2001. In that year, the balance had registered a deficit of US$ 337.86 billion for the first two months.

In February, exports totaled US$ 16.183 billion, with a growth of 3.9% using the daily average in relation to the same month last year. Because of the oil platform, valued at US$ 1.4 billion, imports reached US$ 15.030 billion, up 13.9% in the same comparison.

Estimates

In January, the Ministry of the Economy’s Foreign Trade Secretariat (SECEX) announced that the trade balance should end the year with a surplus of US$ 53 billion. The value would represent an increase in relation to the US$ 50.99 billion trade surplus registered last year, but it is below the estimates of financial institutions. According to the Focus bulletin, a weekly survey released by the Central Bank, market analysts project a trade surplus of US$ 55.1 billion for 2021.

With information from Agência Brasil

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