Brazil’s main stock index, the Ibovespa, ended Friday’s session virtually unchanged at 173,714 points, a marginal drop of 0.06%, as a strong rally in oil giant Petrobras neutralized a sharp sell-off across the banking sector.
Petrobras shares jumped more than 2.5%, providing crucial support to the index. Without this boost, the index would have ended firmly in the red. In contrast, major banks acted as the session’s main drag: Itaú Unibanco slid 1.4%, Banco do Brasil fell 1.3%, and Bradesco dropped 0.7%.
The Brazilian real weakened slightly to R$5.1146 per US dollar, a modest 0.07% dip that kept the currency within its recent tight trading range. Trading volumes were inflated by the expiry of stock options, pushing total financial volume on the B3 exchange to R$23.86 billion.
The divergence highlights persistent local anxiety about interest rates and credit growth weighing on domestic-facing stocks, while commodity exporters benefit from global oil prices.
Article and image source: riotimesonline.com