Economy grew 10.5% in 4 months, points indicator
Folha de S. Paulo
The Brazilian economy had 10.5% growth in the first four months of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009, according to the IBC-BR (Index of Activity of the Central Bank). The figures disclosed yesterday indicate the continued expansion of the economy, instead of the accommodation expected by the economists and the Government. Such indicator was recently created by the BC (Central Bank) to try to anticipate the tendency of the GDP, based on data available so far. It is also used in the models of the BC to set the basic rate of interest.
In the first quarter, the IBC-BR showed 9.9% of expansion (revised to 10.4%). The official figures of the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), which feature more data and are released only every three months, showed 9% growth. The indicator also shows the economy grew 0.3% in April in the monthly comparison and 10.9% compared to April 2009.