Brazil's Industry Confidence Index (ICI) reached 105.7 points in August, up 6.2 percent from July, the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV) reported on Monday. It was the eighth consecutive rise in the ICI, and the first time the indicator surpassed 100 points in the recession, which indicated an increasing optimism in the sector. The results were also the best since the 115 points registered in September 2008, which meant the industry's confidence returned to pre-crisis levels. According to the FGV, the figures reflected the recovery of Brazil's industrial sector, though the index in August was still 11.2 percent less than the same period last year. The ICI consists of the Present Situation Index (ISA) and the Expectation Index (IE). In August, both indices registered improvement: the ISA reached 107.4 points from 101.1 point in July, and the IE jumped from 97.9 to 104 points. The FGV also informed that the industrialists were more optimistic on the demand levels: 23.4 percent considered the current demand levels as good, up from 15.3 percent in July, and 17.8 percent held negative views, down from 19.6 percent in July. A total of 48.4 percent of the industries surveyed by the FGV stated that they expected a rise in production in the next three months from 43.2 percent in July. Those who expected a decrease in the production fell to 11.6 percent from 13 percent in July. Earlier on Monday, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics announced that Brazil's industrial production rose 2.2 percent in July from the level of June, exceeding most experts' predictions. It was the seventh consecutive rise in the industrial production sector. 