RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On a tense day in the market, the Stock Exchange fell, and the US dollar closed at its highest value in over a month and a half. The US dollar closed Tuesday, January 21st, at R$4.206, up 0.4 percent. The currency is at its highest closing value since December 2nd (R$4.214).
The dollar traded higher throughout the session and closed near the maximum value of the day. The US currency has accumulated a 4.8 percent appreciation in 2020. Volatility was also reflected in the euro, which closed the day at R$4.67, up 0.42 percent.
In the stock market, the day was also one of tension. Ibovespa, the index of the B3 (former São Paulo Stock Exchange), closed the day down 1.03 percent, at 117,026 points. The decline interrupted a sequence of three bullish sessions.
The session was marked by fears that the new virus in China will impact the second-largest economy on the planet. The Asian country yesterday confirmed the sixth death by the coronavirus, which causes pneumonia. China and nearby countries have adopted measures to contain the spread of the disease.
The rise of the dollar and the drop in the stock market intensified mid-afternoon, when the first case of infection by the new virus in the United States was confirmed.