Brazil trade balance swings to $4.2 billion surplus in February, matches forecast

BRASILIA, March 5 (Reuters) - Brazil's trade balance reached a $4.2 billion surplus in February, the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services said on Thursday, swinging from a year-earlier deficit and in line with economists' forecast in a Reuters poll.

Exports from Latin America's largest economy rose 15.6% from a year earlier to $26.3 billion, while imports dropped 4.8% to $22.1 billion.

Brazil posted a $500 million deficit in February 2025.

The country's economy is showing clearer signs of slowing after the central bank held interest rates at a nearly 20-year high of 15% since July last year.

Brazilian shipments of items such as crude oil, iron ore and soybeans rose, while those of products including cotton and sugar declined.

On the import side, which is more diversified, the main drag in the month came from a fall in purchases of non-electric engines and machines.

In January, the ministry estimated that Brazil's trade surplus this year will range between $70 billion and $90 billion, above the $68.3 billion surplus recorded in 2025. (Reporting by Isabel Versiani and Fernando Cardoso; EDiting by Kirsten Donovan)