BRASILIA--Brazil recorded a $620 million current-account surplus in April, down from a $798 million surplus in March, the central bank said Thursday.
The result compares with a $1.1 billion surplus recorded a year earlier, bringing the 12-month result to a $8.9 billion deficit as of April, wider than the $8.3 billion 12-month deficit reported for March, the bank said.
April's result keeps Brazil's current-account shortfall at 0.43% of gross domestic product, as imports remain tepid amid a weak economic recovery, while exports are beefed up by strong commodity prices.
The central bank said foreign direct investment was $2.6 billion in April, down from $6.5 billion in March. The 12-month result reached $61.7 billion in April, or 3.03% of GDP, down from $64.3 billion, or 3.13% of GDP in March.
Analysts surveyed by the central bank see the current-account deficit widening to $25.08 billion by year-end, with FDI totaling $75 billion.