In the recession following the coup, only 5 out of 50 sectors escaped.
The headline in Friday's edition of the newspaper O Globo points to the disaster produced in Brazil by the 2016 coup, which began to be built a year earlier with broad media support; this year, a period in which the economic management of Temer and Meirelles led the country to a succession of widespread negative results, only 5 out of 50 segments of industry, commerce and services had positive results in production or sales; among those that escaped recession is the pulp and paper sector, benefited by the high dollar; the economic depression caused by the impeachment has already brought down the Brazilian economy by more than 10%.
247 - The newspaper O Globo, which actively participated in orchestrating the 2016 coup, points out, this Monday, the results of this process: only 5 out of 50 sectors of the economy had positive results this year.
The role of the media in this process of Brazil's implosion was decisive, from the moment the sabotage of President Dilma Rousseff's government began and the conditions for her impeachment were created.
In 2015, the year in which the PMDB-PSDB alliance launched the "the worse, the better" policy and the media fueled the flames of impeachment, the economy contracted by 5%.
This year, in which Michel Temer and Henrique Meirelles were supposedly going to restore confidence, the drop will be 3,5%. In 2017, the Brazilian economy will break even.
Data showing the slump in 45 of the 50 most important economic sectors was published by Globo this Monday. Among those that escaped recession is the pulp and paper sector, which benefited from the high dollar.
According to analysts, the crisis provided opportunities for gains for those who anticipated the worsening scenario, with conservative management and low debt. Export sectors, such as the pulp and paper industry, took advantage of the high dollar to grow. Others were spared because they are, naturally, more resilient to crises.
"Some companies took advantage of the moment to go shopping or offer services in the wake of the crisis. The year that many want to forget was a successful one for those who knew how to see, in the crisis, an opportunity to grow. The group that bids farewell to 2016 in the black is heterogeneous. It includes those who saw their workload increase due to the symptoms of the recession, such as bankruptcy offices, as well as large companies that prepared for the difficult moment, saved money, and took advantage of opportunities to expand their businesses."
According to economists, sectors and companies that performed well do not necessarily share common characteristics. Export segments, such as the pulp and paper industry, took advantage of the high dollar to grow. Others were spared because they are naturally more resilient to crises. In other cases, the differentiating factor was a more conservative profile and low indebtedness, which varies from company to company. According to the three main monthly surveys by IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), only five activities—out of a total of 50 segments in the service, commerce, and industry sectors—showed positive numbers in production or sales in the accumulated year up to October (the latest available data).
The highlight was the manufacture of cellulose, which had advanced 2,3% up to that month. There were also increases in the food industry (1,1%), in the manufacture of wood products (0,3%), in information technology services (0,8%) and in air transport (0,8%).
"The sectors that were already doing well, being more resilient, managed to weather the crisis unscathed. Furthermore, those who knew how to navigate it, who prepared for the worst and didn't leave adjustments until the last minute, benefited," assesses Marco Saravalle, an analyst at XP.
According to analysts, the strong dollar is behind the positive performance of the pulp and paper segment. The sector could close the year with its best result since 2010, when it grew 4,5%, driven by the strong economic climate at the time—in that year, GDP advanced 7,5%.