Economy & Business - May-June 2012 (ISSN 1741-7430)

Industrial production (IP) contracted for the eighth straight month in April, falling 0.2% month-on-month and 2.9% year-on-year in April, according to figures released by the national statistics institute (Ibge) on 31 May. According to new study by the Getulio Vargas Foundation, industrial sector growth averaged just 0.85% a year between 2008 and 2011, at a time when overall annual GDP growth averaged 3.25%.