The Brazilian administration has lifted up its projection for economic development in 2010 from 5.2% to over 5.7%.

Finance Minister Guido Mantega said, "The vigour the economy had (pre-recession) was fully resumed. Growth will be better than 5.7 percent."

Mr. Guido called a 5.7% growth "sustainable" and added that Brazil will have the benefit of quality expansion thanks to raised investment and a revival of manufacturing.

Latin America's largest financial system soared up 4.3% during the fourth quarter of last year and is on the right track to carry on growing, the minister said.

Noting domestic consumption's major role in gross domestic product, he cited January's retail sales numbers, which remained up 2.7% from December and 10.4% from January 2009, as a reason for buoyancy.

Mr. Mantega also said that 2009's 0.2% fall in gross domestic product was sensible, given the harshness of the worldwide financial crisis, which did far less harm in Brazil than in many other nations.

If Mantega's optimistic forecast holds up, 2010 will see Brazil's best monetary performance since 2007, when gross domestic product zoomed 6%. (With Input from Agencies)