RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's industrial production registered a 0.2-percent reduction last November compared with a month earlier, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) announced on Wednesday.

    It was the first decrease in the industrial production figures in 2009. Compared with the same period in 2008, however, the industrial production got a 5.1-percent growth.

    In the first 11 months of 2009, the industrial production accumulated a decline of 9.3 percent compared with the same period in 2008, which can be attributed to the impact of the international financial crisis. From December 2008 to November 2009, the decrease reached 9.7 percent.

    The production of capital goods was up 6.1 percent in November last year compared with the previous month. The production of intermediate goods increased 2.1 percent, while the durable goods production was down 4.8 percent and the non-durable goods production dropped 0.6 percent in the same period.

    Of the 27 sectors in the IBGE study, 12 witnessed an increase in production in November, including machinery (3.9 percent), oil refinery (3.5 percent), basic metallurgy (1.3 percent), and office and computer supplies (3.9 percent).

    Fifteen sectors registered a contraction. The most significant figures were in the motor vehicles sector (2.2 percent), publishing (2.3 percent), electrical appliances (2.9 percent), and transportation (7.2 percent).

    Nevertheless, the default rate in Brazil dropped 14.9 percent in 2009 compared with 2008, the country's Credit Protection Service (SPC) said Wednesday, attributing the good results to the rise of the Brazilian consumers' earnings last year and the credit expansion in the period.

    "Government incentives, such as tax cuts, and the job generation led to a decrease in the default rate," SPC President Roberto Alfeu said, adding that the Brazilian consumers also tried not to make any more debts in a crisis period.

    The SPC estimates that the retail sales will grow 7 percent in 2010, the industrial production will increase 7.3 percent, and the default rate is expected to drop another 15 percent this year.

Special Report:  Global Financial Crisis