April 14, 2026 – 18:33
Sales continue to accompany the dynamics of the economy, as seen in the Business Figures Estimator (ECN), which registered a rebound of 4.8% last February, highlighting the performance of services and businesses.
He Business Figure Estimator (ECN)prepared by the Central Bank of Paraguay, is a measurement that summarizes the evolution of sales in key sectors of the economy. This indicator showed that in February there was a year-on-year expansion of 4.8%.
The ECN is a short-term indicator that measures economic activity on the demand side based on sales declared before the National Tax Revenue Directorate (DNIT)
According to the official BCP report, the year-on-year performance of the ECN in February was explained “mainly” by favorable dynamics in service sales and in the commercial activityaccording to the sector breakdown included in the report. In the opposite direction, the manufacturing sector provided a negative signal by recording adverse behavior.
Among all items, sales in large stores and shopping malls which registered an increase of 15% in February, according to the data. This is mainly due to the strong purchasing impulse by tourists, mainly Argentines.
Read more: Favorable dynamics in sales, says BCP
Promotion of the commercial sector
Within the services sector, the report highlights positive results in several categories, led by: transportation and storage, home services, information services, real estate services, and hotels and restaurants.
The counterpart was given by business servicesshowed negative results in the period, operating as a brake within a largely expansive group.
In the commercial activitythe ECN recorded increases in several items, including: sales of fuel, sale and maintenance of vehicles, chemical-pharmaceutical products, food products, department stores and clothing, products for home equipment, wholesale sales of agricultural raw materials, livestock and live animals, wholesale sales of fertilizers and agrochemicals, wholesale sales of machinery and equipment.
Read more: Sales rebound accompanied the dynamics of the economy, according to BCP indicator
The exception noted by the report was in the segment of technologieswhere negative results were observed in both sales retail as wholesale.
The third major component of the indicator, the manufactureshowed unfavorable performance in various production lines. The ECN verified drops in sales of: meat, chemicals, leather and footwear, metal products, other foods
At the same time, the report recorded positive performances in: oils, sugar, dairy products, milling and bakery products, beverages and tobacco, textiles and clothing, wood and others.
