Industry’s perception of the economy improved in September. According to the Industrial Business Confidence Index (Icei), released this Monday (23) by the National Confederation of Industry (CNI), 26 of the 29 sectors surveyed demonstrated confidence in the future.
This is the highest number of confident sectors since October 2022. Only three industry segments – wood, rubber products and specialized construction services – expressed pessimism.
In a statement, the CNI reported that the positive result is due to the improvement in businesspeople’s perception of the economy. In recent months, businesspeople’s assessment of current economic conditions held back the confidence index, but even this indicator has improved in recent months.
The Icei follows a scale. Below 50 points, the indicator shows distrust. Above this value, it shows optimism. The sectors with the highest confidence index in September were maintenance and repair (59.4 points), electrical machinery and materials (56.7 points), beverages (56.7 points) and pharmaceuticals and chemical products (56.5 points).
From August to September, the Icei of 21 sectors increased, with six crossing the 50-point dividing line and migrating from lack of confidence to confidence: metallurgy; leather and leather goods; machinery and equipment; metal products; biofuels; and computer, electronic and optical equipment.
Regions
Industrial confidence increased in all regions. The South stood out, where the Icei rose 2.3 points. In recent months, the region’s Icei had fluctuated around 50 points, but closed September at 52.4 points, moving away from the dividing line.
Confidence rose 2.2 points in the Northeast; 1.6 in the North; 1.3 in the Southeast and 0.7 in the Central-West. Thus, Icei closed September positive in all regions of Brazil.
Division by size
The confidence index rose for companies of all sizes. The Icei rose 0.9 points among small companies and 1.7 points among medium and large companies. The September result intensified optimism among companies of all sizes.
The survey interviewed 1,870 industrial companies from across the country between September 2 and 11. Of this total, 738 are small, 678 are medium-sized and 454 are large.
