* Brazil’s national statistics institute (Ibge) has released the latest figures for industrial production, showing a 0.3% rise from April to May. This monthly increase comes after a drop of 0.6% was registered from March to April. With the exception of March this year (which saw a monthly rise of 1.1%), Brazil’s industrial production the first five months of 2023 has been relatively weak, registering a 0.4% decrease compared with the same period last year. The accumulated figure for the 12 months until May this year came to 0.0%. Ibge research coordinator André Macedo welcomed the latest positive result, pointing out that 19 of the 25 categories measured saw a monthly rise in production. The categories which saw the highest increases were machines and equipment (12.3%) and coke, petroleum products, and biofuels (7.7%); the latter category has seen four consecutive months of rising production rates.
