BRASILIA, June 18, 2018 (BSS/Xinhua) – The Brazilian economy grew 0.46
percent in April over March, after three consecutive months of contraction,
according to the central bank’s Economic Activity Index (IBC-Br) released
said.
In comparison with April 2017, the economy grew 3.7 percent, and it had
progressed 1.52 percent cumulatively over the last 12 months.
According to updated statistics, the Brazilian economy contracted 0.67
percent in January, 0.04 percent in February and 0.51 percent in March.
With economic indicators trending downwards this year, financial analysts
lowered their GDP growth predictions for the year to 1.94 percent, in a
central bank poll released on Monday.
Last year, Brazil saw GDP growth of 1 percent, after two years of being
mired in severe recession.
The IBC-Br, which gathers information about activity in the industrial,
trade, services and agricultural sectors, is calculated by the central bank
to predict official GDP figures and set monetary policies.
Analysts have warned that the IBC-Br numbers should not be seen as fully
accurate as they do not always match the official data of Brazil’s statistics
bureau, the IBGE.