The Ibovespa index modestly climbed at March’s onset, echoing trends from Wall Street. It finished the day up 0.12%, at 129,180.37 points, despite a slight weekly dip of 0.18%.
The spotlight was on Brazil’s economic data. The nation’s GDP saw no quarter-on-quarter growth in Q4 2023 but rose 2.9% across the year.
Revisions showed Q3’s economy flatlined, not the slight growth first reported. The economy expanded by 1.3% in Q1 but slowed to 0.8% in Q2 after adjustments.
In the US, the manufacturing PMI dropped to 47.8 in February from 49.1 in January.
This marks 16 months below the 50 threshold, signaling contraction, surprising analysts who expected a 49.5 PMI.
Casas Bahia’s stocks soared 7.52% following news of a successful R$1.5 billion debt rescheduling with banks.
Embraer also enjoyed a boost, fueled by the prospects of new aircraft orders.
Conversely, B3 shares fell over 3% amid news of Mubadala Capital’s intent to start a new exchange in Rio de Janeiro.
MRV saw its shares decline after last year’s Q4 earnings were announced.
Vale slightly dropped by 0.16%, while Petrobras nudged up by 0.10%.
This trading day illustrated how economic updates and company news shape market sentiments, spotlighting key players within Ibovespa.