Consumo em contração

Retail Slumps with Consumer Confidence

By Lucy Jordan

"... Much of Brazil’s consumer boom has been attributed to a swelling middle class with increased access to credit, encouraged to spend by a government seeking to boost faltering growth through consumption. However, last year record figures from Serasa Experian Consultancy showed that 5.5 million more Brazilians defaulted on their debts between January and October 2012.

“Economic growth fueled mainly by consumption will run out of steam when indebtedness reaches its limit, which seems to be the case right now,” said Professor Mueller. “The big macroeconomic challenge ahead for Brazil is to recalibrate economic activity towards more investment in order to compensate for less consumption.”

“It would be a big error if the government should try to stimulate consumption now. In order to avoid a recession, more consumption is not the cure. What the country needs is not more consumption but more investment,” he added.

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