Brazilian industrial output falls 6.9pc in June

RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 1 (Xinhua): Brazil's industrial output fell 6.9 per cent in June compared to the same month last year, mostly due to a contraction of the automobile industry, reported a statistical agency on Friday.

The figure marks the worst year-to-year drop since September 2009, when the industrial output tumbled 7.4 per cent, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

The institute noted that the drop in production was linked to the 2014 Brazil World Cup, which ran from June 12 to July 13 in 12 Brazilian cities, where additional holidays were declared and factories were temporarily closed.

Compared to May, industrial production fell 1.4 per cent in June, closing the first six months of the year with an overall drop of 2.6 per cent compared to the first half of 2013.

Only six of the 24 industrial sectors studied by the IBGE registered an increase in output, including petroleum by-products, bio fuels, and food and beverages, while the one that contracted the most from the month before was the auto industry, with 12.1 per cent.