BRASILIA (Reuters) -Brazil’s public finances performed better than expected in August, with debt levels remaining stable and the primary deficit coming in below forecasts, central bank data showed on Tuesday. The public sector posted a primary deficit of 17.26 billion reais ($3.24 billion) in August, narrower than the 21 billion reais shortfall projected in the Reuters poll, and below the 21.43 billion reais deficit recorded a year earlier. As a result, the 12-month rolling primary deficit fell to 0.19% of GDP in August from 0.22% in July. The nominal budget balance, which includes interest payments, showed a deficit of 91.52 billion reais for the month, also smaller than the 95 billion reais projected by economists in the poll. Over 12 months, the nominal deficit reached 7.81% of GDP, down from 7.85% in the previous month.