Brazil's industrial output stepped down by an annual 0.7pc in February, mainly driven by auto, chemical products and machinery, according to national statistics agency IBGE.
The decrease follows an annual 0.2pc increase in January and a 0.1pc decline in December.
Production of intermediate goods — feedstocks for industries that do not directly reach the final consumer — rose by 1.1pc in February from a year earlier. Output of non-durable and semi-durable goods fell by 0.3pc from a year earlier.
Output of capital goods and durable consumer goods were down by 13.5pc and 9.3pc, respectively, from February 2025. It is the ninth consecutive annualized decline in capital goods production.
Auto, chemical products and machinery were among the largest negative contributors, down by 7.3pc, by 6.4pc and 11pc, respectively, from a year prior. Heavy vehicles and NPK fertilizers pushed down their respective categories, IBGE said.
Output of petroleum coke, oil products and biofuels rose by 4pc in February from a year earlier, following a 1.2pc decline in January. Metal products output was down by 8.4pc.
Brazil's central bank lowered its target rate to 14.75pc in March. Brazil's headline inflation decelerated to an annual 3.81pc in February.
