The Industrial Entrepreneurs Confidence Index (Icei) dropped 0.3 percentage point in May, changing from 56.8 points in April to 56.5 in May. The data were released today (20) by the National Confederation of Industry (CNI).
According to the CNI, the index varied differently among the different industrial sectors. Of the 29 sectors analyzed, 14 showed an increase in confidence in the month and 13 showed a decrease in confidence. In two sectors, business confidence remained neutral.
The Icei ranges from zero to 100 points. Values above 50 points indicate that the degree of business trust is higher and more widespread. The closer to zero, the lower the confidence.
In May, the most confident sectors were maintenance, repair and installation of machinery and equipment, which reached 60.3 points; followed by biofuels (60.2); pharmochemical and pharmaceutical products (60.1); miscellaneous products (59.8); and extraction of non-metallic minerals, which closed at 59.5 points.
The sectors that showed the greatest drop in confidence were rubber products, with 50.6 points; cleaning, perfumery and personal hygiene products (52.2); textile products (53); computer equipment, electronic products and others (53.1); in addition to the leather and leather artifacts sector, which had 55.
The two sectors in which business confidence did not change were: manufacturing of clothing and accessories, and wood products.
regional clipping
According to the entity, the index also had different results in the regions of Brazil. From April to May, the indicator increased in industries in the Midwest (from 57.6 to 58) and in the South (from 55.5 to 56.1); remained stable in the Northeast (at 57.1); and it dropped in the Southeast (from 55.8 to 55.5) and in the North (from 60.1 to 58.5).
The CNI highlighted that the result for May shows that the industry “as a whole remains confident”, since, despite the regional and sectoral contrast, confidence remained above the 50 point line in all 29 sectors.
For the preparation of the survey, 2,251 companies were interviewed, 893 of which were small, 815 medium and 543 large, between the 2nd and 10th of May.
Article amended at 12:01 pm to include regional indices.
