After oscillating between highs and lows throughout the day, the dollar closed today (31) with a fall and had the biggest quarterly decline since 2009. The stock market fell after two consecutive highs, but also ended the quarter on a high, with the biggest appreciation since 2020.
The commercial dollar closed the day sold at R$ 4.761, with a decrease of R$ 0.026 (-0.54%). After starting the day on a high, the price reversed the trend and fell shortly after the opening of trading in the North American market. At the lowest of the day, around 1 pm, it reached R$ 4.72, but the low price attracted the purchase by large companies that want to close the box at the end of the quarter.
With the performance of today, the US currency closed March with a decline of 7.63%. That was the biggest monthly drop since October 2018. In the first quarter, the currency was down 14.55%, the lowest since the second quarter of 2009, as financial markets rebounded from the 2008 financial crisis.
Stocks have a tense day
The stock market had a more tense day. The B3 (Stock Exchange) Ibovespa index closed the day at 119,999 points, down 0.22%. The fall was driven by shares of oil companies and energy companies, which reacted to the decline in international oil prices after US President Joe Biden announced the release of internal stocks to face the rising price of fuel after the start of the war. between Russia and Ukraine.
The Ibovespa ended March with gains of 6.06%. In the first three months of 2022, the cumulative increase was 14.48%, the best performance since the last quarter of 2020.
In relation to the exchange rate, the dollar rose against several currencies after the announcement that the number of applications for unemployment benefits in the United States increased more than expected in March and with the worsening of tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
In the case of Brazil, however, the appreciation of commodities (primary goods with international quotations) in recent months and high interest rates continued to press down the price of the US currency. The same occurred with other Latin American countries, such as Colombia and Mexico.
* With Reuters Agency
