Stocks on Brazil's B3 exchange ended the trading day in positive territory on Thursday, with the benchmark Bovespa index closing up 0.64% in Sao Paulo. Gains were led by names in the Electric Power, Financials and Public Utilities sectors.
Top movers
The session's strongest performers included CSN Mineracao SA (BVMF:CMIN3), which climbed 2.66% - a gain of 0.11 points - to finish at 4.22. Transmissora Alianca de Energia Eletrica SA Unit (BVMF:TAEE11) advanced 2.61%, or 1.04 points, to close at 40.74. MRV Engenharia e Participacoes SA (BVMF:MRVE3) also posted a notable rise, up 2.51% - 0.13 points - to end the day at 5.26.
Lagging stocks
On the downside, Marfrig Global Foods (BVMF:MBRF3) dropped 5.89% - a decline of 1.06 points - to trade at 17.14 at the close. Natura & Co SA (BVMF:NATU3) fell 4.20% or 0.36 points to 8.26. Magazine Luiza SA (BVMF:MGLU3) was down 3.61%, a loss of 0.16 points, to finish at 4.27; the stock hit a 52-week low in the session.
Market breadth and volatility
Advancers outnumbered decliners on the B3 Stock Exchange by 523 to 389, while 54 issues finished unchanged. The CBOE Brazil Etf Volatility, which measures implied volatility of Bovespa options, rose 2.04% to 29.99.
Commodities and energy
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for August delivery gained 1.32%, up 53.90 to $4,136.30 per troy ounce. Crude oil for August delivery eased 0.15%, a drop of 0.10, settling at $68.48 a barrel. The September US coffee C contract declined 2.50%, or 7.75 points, to trade at $302.15.
Currencies and dollar index
Currency pairs saw modest movement: USD/BRL was effectively unchanged, moving 0.09% to 5.20, while EUR/BRL rose 0.48% to 5.97. The US Dollar Index Futures was lower by 0.52%, trading at 100.63.
Thursday's session featured sector-led gains concentrated in utilities and financial names, offset by notable weakness in select consumer-facing and food industry stocks. Volatility on Bovespa options ticked higher even as overall market direction was positive.