Brazil notches up record primary surplus in January

RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's public sector registered a primary budget surplus of 46.94 billion reals (14.5 billion U.S. dollars) in January, the highest monthly record since December 2011, the central bank said Wednesday.

The amount rose 27 percent compared to the same period last year. The increase is mainly attributed to the government's policies to stimulate consumption, attract investments and expand exports.

The central government accounted for 36.53 billion reals (11.27 billion dollars) of the surplus, while the state and municipal governments reported a primary surplus of 10.53 billion reals (3.25 billion dollars).

However, state-owned companies registered a primary deficit of 126 million reals (38.88 million dollars).

Primary deficit last year touched 110.5 billion reals (34.1 billion dollars), or 1.69 percent of the gross domestic product. Enditem