IBOVESPA Drops 12.5 Percent and Halts Trading for 30 Minutes

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The drop in the IBOVESPA, Brazil’s main stock index, accelerated rapidly at the start of trading on Monday, March 16th, reaching 12.5 percent at 72,321 points, triggering the “circuit breaker” mechanism, which halts trading for 30 minutes. The drop is part of a new wave of global panic due to the advance of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

The “circuit breaker” is a mechanism that interrupts negotiations for 30 minutes when the index drops by ten percent compared to the preceding closing, and for one hour when the downturn hits 15 percent.

The goal of the measure is to calm the moods in the stock market. If it fails and the drop reaches 20 percent, the transactions are interrupted for a period of time to be determined by the B3. Last week, transactions were interrupted four times amid fears of the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the world economy.

The Federal Reserve’s (Fed) decision to cut its interest rate to zero on Sunday night, March 15th, worsened investors’ mood by signaling great concern over its impact.

“The interest rate cut was a surprise,” says Luis Sales, an analyst with Guide Investments. “It offers the perspective that the ‘canary in the coal mine’ is more adverse than the price. This ended up generating panic in the market, although monetary policies may not have any effect. Now, it’s more of a fiscal issue than a monetary one.”

Source: Exame