Ibovespa shows a sharp drop this Friday morning, to 174,000 points.

At 10:39 am (Brasília time) this Friday (24), the Ibovespa It showed a sharp drop of 1.06%, to 174,847.91 points, but with an accumulated gain of 0.58% in the partial week. In the last session (23), the main indicator of Brazilian Stock Exchange (B3) It fell 0.46%, to 176,723.62 points. Of greater weight in the composition of B3a Vale (VALE3) and the actions of Petrobras (PETR3; PETR4) Brazilian markets were operating in negative territory, with declines of 0.53%, 0.86%, and 0.65%, respectively. This morning, investors reacted to the new decision by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to again impose a 12.5% surcharge on Brazilian products, alleging the importation of goods produced with forced labor. The US agency has imposed tariffs on a total of 60 countries for the practice of benefiting irregular supply chains, ranging from members of the European Union (with a 10% rate) to other Mercosur participants such as Argentina and Uruguay. Other major economies, such as China, Russia, Japan, and South Korea, were also affected by the new surcharge. In the Middle East, following a relief in geopolitical tensions – with the United States' proposed ceasefire with Iran – the price of a barrel of oil fell back below US$100. According to The New York Times, negotiations to end the war will be mediated by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. On Wall Street, market participants are showing concern about the negative results in the balance sheets of major technology companies, such as Alphabet and Tesla. According to analysts, the fear of high spending on artificial intelligence without a consistent return is worrying investors. Also in the corporate market, the results of American and European giants such as Exxon Mobil and American Express, as well as Volkswagen, are scheduled to be released today. In domestic politics, yesterday, Finance Minister Dario Durigan signed the decree extending the R$0.44 per liter gasoline subsidy for 30 days. The extension of the subsidy will take effect from July 26.

This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.