BRAZIL · TRADE
Key Facts
- What happened Brazil’s October 2026 trade surplus reached US$9.3 billion, up 39.4% from October 2025.
- The flows Exports rose 20% to US$37.8 billion; imports rose 14.8% to US$28.5 billion.
- The US angle Exports to the US jumped 87% to over US$4.3 billion, against a weak year-earlier base.
- What is next The ministry’s 2026 surplus forecast is US$84.4 billion; January to October stands near US$71 billion.
Brazil sold far more than it bought in October, and the gap grew sharply from a year ago.
Brazil’s ports had a busy October, and the paperwork now proves it. The country sold US$37.8 billion of goods abroad and bought US$28.5 billion, leaving a US$9.3 billion trade surplus, Brazil’s trade ministry (MDIC) said on Friday 6 November.
That is 39.4% above the roughly US$6.7 billion surplus of October 2025, and above the US$7.74 billion in September. It also edges past the roughly US$9 billion that forecasters had pencilled in, according to the RT economic calendar.
It is the latest data point for Brazil’s economy.
In Plain English
A trade surplus means a country sells more abroad than it buys, so more dollars come in than go out.
How Big Was Brazil’s October Trade Surplus?
Exports rose 20% from October 2025, when Brazil sold US$31.5 billion. Imports rose 14.8%, from US$24.8 billion a year earlier.
Total trade, exports plus imports, reached US$66.3 billion in October, up 17.7% from US$56.3 billion.
The year looks even stronger. From January to October, exports reached about US$321.9 billion, while imports reached US$250.8 billion.
That leaves a ten-month surplus of about US$71 billion, 34.1% higher than a year ago. The ministry’s latest full-year forecast, set in October, is US$84.4 billion, cut from US$90.0 billion because oil price projections fell.
Why Did Sales to the US Jump 87%?
Exports to the United States rose 87% in October to more than US$4.3 billion. A year earlier, US sales were only about US$2.3 billion, well below the US$2.67 billion of September 2025.
So much of the jump is a weak starting point, not a new boom. From January to October, Brazilian sales to the US are practically unchanged from last year, at US$31.7 billion.
China, Brazil’s biggest customer, went the other way in October. Exports there fell 5.3% to US$8.6 billion.
What Does It Mean for US Readers?
A bigger surplus brings more dollars into Brazil, which helps the real, the national currency. RT data show the real near 5.50 per US dollar on Friday, and our guide to the real-to-dollar rate explains what moves it.
The winners are Brazilian exporters paid in dollars, including the state-controlled oil company Petrobras (PBR) and the iron-ore miner Vale (VALE), whose shares US investors hold as ADRs, receipts traded in New York. Anyone who assumed tariffs would shut the American door should note that US-bound sales are rising; our Brazilian stock market guide covers the stocks involved.
What Is Not Known
The ministry’s breakdown by product, which would show whether oil, soy, coffee or minerals drove the gain, was not in the figures we could confirm on Friday. We also do not know whether US sales keep growing once the weak 2025 base drops out of the comparison.
What to Watch Next
The ministry also publishes weekly trade updates, so November’s pace will show quickly. To reach US$84.4 billion for 2026, Brazil needs only about US$13.4 billion of surplus across November and December, which suggests the forecast is within reach.
Monday 9 November at 6:30 a.m. ET brings the Focus survey, the central bank’s weekly poll of economists. The minutes of the central bank’s rate meeting follow on Tuesday 10 November at 6:00 a.m. ET, and October inflation, measured by the IPCA consumer-price index, arrives on Thursday 12 November at 7:00 a.m. ET.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What was Brazil’s trade surplus in October 2026?
Brazil’s trade surplus was US$9.3 billion in October 2026, up 39.4% from a year earlier. Exports were US$37.8 billion and imports US$28.5 billion.
Why did Brazil’s exports to the US rise 87%?
Mostly because sales a year earlier were weak, at about US$2.3 billion. From January to October, sales to the US are practically unchanged.
Sources: MDIC and Secex (foreign trade secretariat), monthly trade balance, October 2026; Banco Central do Brasil, Focus survey and meeting calendar; RT economic calendar and exchange-rate data (accessed 6 November 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error
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