The Brazilian economy is slackening somewhat. In parallel to shrinkage in exports, the third quarter 2010 witnessed industrial production decreasing by about 1%, with even more significant reductions in some sectors: machinery, for example, recorded a drop of 6.5%.
The present stagnation of the Brazilian industrial production is also reflected in the results of the latest survey carried out by Assocomaplast (Italian plastics and rubber processing machinery and moulds manufacturers' association) among sector companies. Indeed, the South American country no longer appears among the top five destination markets for Italian plastics and rubber machinery exports.