SAO PAULO, April 14 (Reuters) - Latin American currencies
rebounded on Tuesday after weaker-than- xpected U.S. retail
sales data hit the dollar, helping put an end to a three-day
slump in the region's foreign exchange markets.
Equities were broadly lower, though gains in Brazilian
heavyweights Vale and Petrobras helped
maintain the MSCI Latin American stock index in
positive territory.
Also hurting the dollar was a downward revision for U.S.
economic growth announced on Tuesday by the International
Monetary Fund.
Weak U.S. data tends to push investors into riskier assets
such as Latin American securities on bets that an extended
period of low U.S. rates would support the search for higher
returns in emerging markets.
The Brazilian real recovered more than 1.4
percent, erasing the previous session's losses to trade near
3.07 per dollar.
The currency was also helped by news that state-run oil firm
Petrobras, formally known as Petroleo Brasileiro SA,
is likely to release audited results later this month.
Petrobras shares, which tend to attract a large portion of
foreign investors looking for Brazil exposure, have been
hammered in recent months by an ongoing corruption
investigation. Releasing the long-delayed results is likely to
ease concerns about the health of the company.
Petrobras preferred shares were up 2 percent, while those of
mining firm Vale SA gained nearly 4 percent on higher
prices for iron-ore .IO62-CNI=SI, the company's main product.
Still, the broader Bovespa stock index moved
slightly lower, hit by a 5 percent drop in shares of beef
producer JBS SA.
Local paper Estado de S. Paulo reported on Tuesday that five
years ago JBS had made payments to a company controlled by
former Congressman Andre Vargas, who was jailed on Friday in a
broadening corruption probe.
JBS said in a Tuesday securities filing that the deal was
entirely legal.
Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 1700 GMT:
Stock indexes daily % YTD %
change change
Latest
MSCI Emerging 1037.37 -0.39 8.9
Markets
MSCI LatAm 2610.62 0.54 -4.8
Brazil Bovespa 54076.47 -0.3 8.14
Mexico IPC 45002.14 0.02 4.30
Chile IPSA 4014.1 -0.63 4.24
Chile IGPA 19505.61 -0.54 3.37
Argentina MerVal 11836.51 1.35 37.97
Colombia IGBC 10344.79 0.13 -11.09
Peru IGRA 12935.58 0.4 -12.56
Venezuela IBC 5542.88 0.7 43.64
Currencies daily % YTD %
change change
Latest
Brazil real 3.0791 1.43 -13.69
Mexico peso 15.24 0.90 -3.25
Chile peso 614.3 0.24 -1.29
Colombia peso 2557.49 0.02 -6.63
Peru sol 3.118 0.13 -4.46
Argentina peso 8.8575 0.00 -3.47
(interbank)
Argentina peso 12.37 0.40 13.18
(parallel)
(Reporting by Asher Levine Editing by W Simon)
