Dollar falls to R$ 4.79 and ends the semester with a decrease of 9.28%

The commercial dollar ended this Friday (30th) sold at R$4.79, with a sharp decrease of R$0.057 (-1.19%). The quotation even opened higher, at R$ 4.87, but reversed the movement and started to fall in the first half-hour of trading.

The US currency closed June with a retreat of 5.58% and accumulates a drop of 9.28% in the first half. That was the biggest drop for the first six months of the year since 2016.

In the stock market, the day was less optimistic. The B3 Ibovespa index closed at 118,087 points, down 0.25%, after rising for most of the day. Despite this Friday’s retreat, the indicator closed June with a significant increase of 9.15%, supported by the inflow of foreign capital and the prospect of a drop in interest rates in Brazil from the second half. In the year, the stock market rises 6.33%.

In the domestic market, the announcement of the official inflation target of 3% for 2026, with the introduction of a more flexible horizon to from 2025, was well received by investors. On Thursday (29), the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, said that the target of 3% for the next three years is in line with market expectations and shows the government’s responsibility to control inflation.

In the external scenario, data from the US economy, which showed core inflation (inflation index without more volatile prices) and lower-than-expected consumer spending, reduced the pressure on the dollar that affected global markets in recent days. Economic activity in deceleration increases the chances that the Federal Reserve (Fed, US Central Bank) will not raise interest rates in the largest economy on the planet at the next meeting.

*with information from Reuters