The ICT services have been the lever of GDP in Brazil

he 0.8% growth in the services sector was the main driver for the increase of 0.8% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is the sum of all goods and services produced in the country, in the second quarter of this year in the previous quarter. The main highlights were the sector of information services (1.9%) and financial intermediation and insurance (1.6%). The trade grew by 1.1% in the period.
According to figures released on 02/08, by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the services were also highlighted in the comparison with the second quarter of 2010 as they grew by 3.4% . Information services, an increase of 5.5%, and trade, up 4.9%, were the main activities in this comparison.
"We've been observing for some time the big boom in this sector, which does not suffer so much turbulence," stated the manager of the coordination of national accounts of the IBGE, Rebeca Palis, remembering that in the second quarter growth of information services was pulled for mobile telephony, while other segments such as software, also have made progress.
The industry had a more moderate growth of 0.2% in the second quarter. The growth of this segment was driven mainly by mining and quarrying, which grew by 2.2% in the period. The production and distribution of electricity, gas and water was also increased (1.5%). Since construction had a lower growth of 0.5%, and the processing industry was stable over the first quarter. In comparison with the second quarter of 2010, the industry had a more significant increase (1.7%), with emphasis on the production and distribution of electricity, gas and water (3.4%).
The highlight of negative GDP quarter was the sector of agriculture, which fell by 0.1% compared to first quarter of this year and was stable in the second quarter of 2010. The GDP grew by 3.1% compared to the second quarter of this year with the same period last year, 3.6% in the year and 4.7% in the last 12 months.
IBGE also announced the revision of GDP figures from the second (from 1.6% to 1.8%) and fourth quarters of 2010 (from 0.8% to 0.7%) and the first quarter of this year (from 1.3% to 1.2%)