Brazil's public sector gross debt steady in August

BRASILIA, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Brazil's public sector gross debt stood at 77.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) in August, central bank data showed on Tuesday, unchanged from the previous month, while economists polled by Reuters expected it to rise to 78% of GDP.

The public sector recorded a primary deficit of 17.255 billion reais ($3.24 billion) for the month, narrower than the 21 billion real shortfall forecast in the poll.

($1 = 5.3219 reais)