See the dollar quote and the Stock Exchange today – 02/23/2023 – Market

The dollar fell against the real in the first trades this Thursday (23), following the relief in international sentiment and with investors waiting for the release of more economic data from the United States, which may offer clues about the path of monetary tightening by the Fed ( Federal Reserve, the US central bank).

At 9:09 am (Brasília time), the spot dollar retreated 0.56%, to R$ 5.1419 in the sale.

On B3, at 9:09 am (Brasília time), the first contract dollar futures contract fell 0.21%, to R$ 5.1475.

The Stock Exchange closed lower this Wednesday (22), on the return of the Carnival holiday, while the dollar was closer to stability. There was a worsening in the mood of investors after the release of the minutes of the last interest rate meeting of the Federal Reserve (Fed, the US central bank), which points to a scenario of high interest rates for longer.

The Ibovespa closed the day down 1.85%, to 107,152 points, the worst level since January 4th. At the low of the day, the index fell below 107,000 points.

The dollar closed at a high of 0.07%%, at R$ 5.166. The American currency reached a maximum of R$ 5.21 during the trading session this Wednesday, which began at 1:00 pm.

In the interest rate market, the Fed minutes intensified the upward movement. For contracts maturing in January 2024, rates rose from 13.24% at the close of last Friday (17) to 13.39% per annum. For January 2025, interest rates increased from 12.52% to 12.66% per annum. For January 2027, the rate ranged from 12.83% to 12.93%.

Minutes from the committee that decides on interest rates in the United States show that the Fed will maintain a tougher policy “until the data provide greater confidence that inflation is on a consistent path towards the target of 2% per year.”

The vast majority of committee members favored a 0.25 percentage point increase at the last meeting, but some supported a 0.50 point increase. Currently, the interest rate in the United States is in the range between 4.50% and 4.75%.

The climate of greater risk aversion also affects commodities. Brent crude was down more than 3% by 6:30 pm. Thus, Petrobras shares retreated more than 2%.

The main American indices operated close to stability before the release of the Fed’s minutes, and began to fall minutes later.

The Dow Jones closed down 0.26%, slightly improving performance in the final stretch of trading. The S&P 500 fell 0.16%, and the Nasdaq closed up 0.13%.

With Reuters