MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
The Brazilian currency slides past three to the dollar, fist time since 2004
The Real has shed around one-third of its value against the US currency over the past two years as Brazil's economy has slumped Brazil's currency, the Real slid past three to the dollar (3.01) for the first time in 10 years on Thursday, in the latest sign of weakness of Latin America's largest economy.
Recent days have seen the Real come close to breaching the mark with Wednesday bringing a close of 2.98 amid the ongoing political fallout of a spiraling corruption scandal at state-owned oil firm Petrobras and a rebellious congress.
The Real has shed around one-third of its value against the US currency over the past two years as Brazil's economy has slumped. Now it is back almost to where it stood in August 2004, when a dollar fetched 3.0146 Reais.
“There has been concern for some time. There are a range of factors which justify going through the three Reais barrier” said Alex Agostini of Austin Rating, who cited high interest rates, inflationary pressures, tardy but needed fiscal reform and the Petrobras affair, which involved around 4 billion dollars in kickbacks being distributed among politicians and businessmen in inflated contracts between 2004 and 2012.
The central bank on Wednesday hiked rates by a half-point to 12.75%, in a bid to keep rising prices in check.
The Petrobras scandal has meanwhile added to the climate of political turmoil as the government seeks to return the country to a path of growth following four years of slowdown.
In effect the ruling alliance of president Dilma Rousseff has rebelled and this week lawmakers throughout a decree which increased taxes on payrolls. Rousseff called for an urgent meeting with coalition leaders while former president Lula da Silva continues in low key negotiations to try and find a way out to the situation.
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Read all commentsI am sure that DumbAss Dilma is imagining herself as the captain of a massive nuclear submarine.
Mar 06th, 2015 - 10:53 am 0She has just found out that the controls won't do what she wants them to.
Tanks are 'flooded', bowplanes locked in 'down' and the reactor core is in critical overload through putting full power on 'ahead'.
It's going to be a miracle is she avoids hitting the bottom before the whole thing implodes around her.
Oh dear!
The currency market is floating in Brazil. The government observes and causes little interference. The dollar depreciated in 2010, 2011, 2012 ... the government did nothing.
Mar 06th, 2015 - 12:56 pm 0Interestingly, the dollar market, or any other currency, are moved by a few players and never move more than 5 or 6 billion REAL daily.
This is not a market where I would bet my chips.
What she needs I a false miracle,
Mar 06th, 2015 - 01:59 pm 0a bit like CFK and her magic Malvinas 50-pesky bill.....lol
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