The Brazilian trade balance registered the second-highest surplus for the month of January since records began in 1989, benefiting from a drop in imports, the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC) announced on Thursday (Feb. 5). Last month, exports exceeded imports by USD 4.342 billion, an increase of 85.8 percent compared to the surplus of USD 2.337 billion in the same month of 2025.

The January trade balance result is surpassed only by 2024, when the surplus reached USD 6.196 billion.

Notícias relacionadas:

• Lula submits Mercosur–EU trade agreement to Brazilian Congress.
• Brazilian industry blames interest rates for 2025 slowdown.

The value of exports and imports:
Exports: USD 25.153 billion, a 1 percent decrease compared to January last year;
Imports: USD 20.810 billion, a 9.8 percent decrease in the same period.

The value of exports is the third highest for the month of January since records began in 1989, surpassed only by January 2024 and 2025. Imports registered the second-highest January on record, surpassed only by the same month last year.

Sectors

In the distribution by economic sectors, exports in January varied as follows:

• Agriculture: 2.1 percent, with a 3.4 percent decrease in volume and a 5.3 percent increase in average price;
• Extractive industry: minus 3.4 percent, with a 6.2 percent increase in volume and a 9.1 percent decrease in average price;
• Manufacturing industry: minus 0.5 percent, with a 0.6 percent decrease in volume and a 0.1 percent decrease in average price.

Siblings Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethânia won the 2026 Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album on Sunday (Jan. 1) for Caetano e Bethânia ao Vivo.

Presenter Dee Dee Bridgewater accepted the award on their behalf at the ceremony in Los Angeles, United States.

Notícias relacionadas:

• “The Secret Agent” gets four Oscar nominations.
• “The Secret Agent” makes history at Golden Globes with two awards.

The award-winning production is a recording of the artists’ tour. The achievement crowned an artistic moment marked by affectionate reunions with audiences and a reaffirmation of the strength of Brazilian song on the international stage.

The album, recorded during a tour that spanned several Brazilian cities with sold-out shows, brings together hits from the two artists’ individual careers, such as “Reconvexo” and “Vaca Profana,” as well as a previously unreleased version of “Fé,” a composition by Brazilian singer Iza reinterpreted by the siblings.

Celebrating the victory on social media, Caetano and Bethânia wrote:

“What joy to win the @grammys for ‘Best International Album’ together! In particular, we would like to thank the musicians who, alongside us, made this album happen. Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who listened to the album, went to the shows, and shared this story with us.”

For Maria Bethânia, her first Grammy represents international acclaim after decades of career.

For Caetano, this was his sixth Grammy nomination and third award. The artist has already won twice: with Livro (1998) and João Voz e Violão (2000), an album by João Gilberto that he produced.