RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The commercial dollar closed this Thursday (17) sold at R$5.034, with withdrawal of R$0.059 (-1.16%). The rate reached a slight high during the morning, but consolidated the decline from 11:30 and closed near the day’s lows.
In the last two days, the US currency recorded a decline of R$0.11. On Tuesday (15), the currency had closed at R$ 5.15 amid the correction in commodity prices (primary goods with international quotation).
Expectations of the meetings of the Federal Reserve (Fed) and the Monetary Policy Committee (Copom) of the Central Bank of Brazil had also caused instability at the beginning of the week.
The day was also marked by optimism in the stock market. The Ibovespa index of the B3 closed at 113,076 points, with a high of 1.77%. Influenced by greater international risk appetite, the indicator returned to the level of a week ago, when it was also in the range of 113 thousand points.
The Fed’s decision to raise key interest rates in the United States by only 0.25 percentage points brought relief around the world.
Some investors feared that rising inflation in the United States, which has reached its highest level in 40 years, and the impact of the war between Russia and Ukraine would cause the U.S. monetary authority to adjust by 0.5 points.
A higher than expected adjustment would encourage capital flight from emerging markets such as Brazil.
In Brazil, the market reacted to the 1 percentage point increase in the Selic rate (the economy’s prime rate). Copom raised the rate to 11.75%, in line with market forecasts, and said it intends to raise the Selic by the same amount at its next meeting in May.
In the stock market, the performance of the foreign market offset the decline in Petrobras shares, the most traded stock on Ibovespa.
Common shares (with voting rights in shareholders’ meetings) fell 2.7% and preferred shares (with preference in dividend distribution) 2.47% amid tensions over maintaining the fuel pricing policy practiced by the state-owned company.