Brazil Retail Sales Rise For Second Month

(RTTNews) - Brazil's retail sales increased for the second straight month in April, though marginally, figures from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, or IBGE, showed on Wednesday.

Retail sales rose a seasonally adjusted 0.1 percent month-on-month in April, after a 0.8 percent rise in March. Economists had expected a 0.3 percent gain for the month.

Of the eight activities analyzed by the survey, only three had positive results in April, the agency said.

The supermarket division showed strong sales growth of 3.2 percent over the month, followed by books, newspapers, magazines, and stationery with a 1.0 percent rise.

At the same time, sales of office, computer, and communication equipment and materials showed a sharp fall of 7.2 percent.

In the expanded retail trade , which includes vehicles, motorcycles, parts and pieces, and construction material, sales volume decreased 1.6 percent compared to the prior month.

On a yearly basis, retail sales growth eased notably to 0.5 percent in April from 3.3 percent in the previous month. Sales were expected to increase by 0.95 percent.