In a day of turbulence due to the variant of the new coronavirus, the dollar surpassed R $ 5.20, but it lost breath and ended Monday (21) with a slight increase. The stock market, which was on the rise, fell to 115,000 points, increasing losses near the end of the session.
The commercial dollar closed the day sold at R $ 5.123, up R $ 0.04 (+ 0.78%). At around 9:30 am, the price reached R $ 5.22, but decelerated throughout the day, as external flows entered the country, and the Central Bank auctioned US $ 800 million in credit contracts. swap exchange rate, equivalent to the sale of dollars in the futures market.
On the stock exchange, the day was also marked by tension. B3's Ibovespa index, which in the past few days was around 119,000 points, closed Monday at 115,823 points, down 1.86%. The indicator dropped almost 3% in the morning, to 114 thousand points, but returned to 116 thousand points in the afternoon, until accelerating the decline in the final minutes of trading.
Markets reacted badly to news about the effects of the new, more contagious variant of the new coronavirus, as new lockdown in the United Kingdom and the suspension by several countries of flights from British territory. However, other factors contributed to reducing the turbulence.
In addition to the approval, by the European Commission, of the vaccine of the companies Pfizer and BioTech, investors reacted to the closing of an agreement to approve a new stimulus package for the United States economy. The bill, which is due to be voted on today, foresees spending of US $ 900 billion on unemployment benefits, aid to small businesses and distribution of vaccines.
President-elect Joe Biden's government is expected to approve an additional package early next year. The injection of dollars in the United States reduces the demand for the currency, benefiting emerging countries, such as Brazil.
