Japan isn’t the only country to intervene in the markets in an attempt to drive down the price of its currency.
Brazil’s central bank has moved to buy dollars and to sell the Brazilian real repeatedly in the last week. Until it fell on September 20 and 21, Brazil’s currency had been up 34% since the beginning of 2009. That appreciation has played havoc with the country’s exports. The country’s current account trade deficit is forecast to hit $50 billion by the end of 2010 from $24 billion in 2009.
Brazil’s central bank intervened at a pace of about $1 billion a day—buying the U.S. dollar and selling the real –last week. And on September 21 the Brazilian government announced that the country’s sovereign wealth fund had been authorized to buy dollars and other foreign currencies without limit.
All that seems to have had some effect: on September 20 and 21 the real retreated 0.7% against the dollar.
The government hopes that these measures won’t have to continue indefinitely. Investors have moved dollars and other foreign currencies in bulk into Brazil in preparation for the $81 billion Petrobras stock offering on September 23. Investors buying in Brazil—which meant paying with the real– received priority over overseas buyers.
I think that the government is going to be disappointed. There is a wave of smaller offerings in line behind Petrobras as Brazilian companies seek to tap the capital markets at what are, in Brazilian terms, historically low rates. And given the popularity of Brazilian financial assets with overseas investors that will result in continued buying of the real and selling of other currencies as money continues to flow into Brazil. (The huge Petrobras offering sold at a much less than expected 2% discount to the market price of shares before the offering. Now that’s demand.)
A survey by the central bank showed that most economists don’t expect the real to weaken until the end of 2011 and then by just 3% from today’s levels.
If you’re buying real denominated assets, it doesn’t look like you need to worry about the currency falling value anytime soon.
Finally someone from major news outlets or investment firms speaks the obvious. Reuter: BRIC breaking. Brazil and China stand out.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68N1YB20100924?pageNumber=1
Jim,
Thanks again for all the free education you dole out.
If you ever have the time or inclination, I think your readers would appreciate and benefit from a primer on currency exchange and the varying affects on stocks. For example, one question bandied about after your recommendation for TOT was what impact does a falling (or rising) euro have on TOT’s earnings, particularly given oil is priced in U.S. Dollars.
As another example, I recall PM tanking in spring when the EURO tanked. I understand it gets 40% of its revenues in EURO nations so that made sense. But the stock has rebounded with a vengeance even while the EURO has rebounded less than half of what the stock price rose. Which makes me wonder whther I correctly understood the relationship to the falling euro in the Spring.
With your fund being a global fund deploying upt to 40% of its capital into foreign stocks (or was it emerging market stocks) and your worldwide focus in your Jubaks Picks portfolio, a primer on Forex, how it works, how it potentially impacts stock prices particularly of companies with a high percentage of sales outside its national currency, etc. sure would be appreciated in the peanut gallery.
Pretty please….
I think the idea is that if they weaken their currency they’ll sell more exports and their trade deficit will narrow. That’s basically why China keeps its currency so weak (to stimulate demand for its exports, not to narrow its trade deficit which it obviously does not have).
That’s the theory anyways.
If Brazil has such a large trade deficit (meaning they import more than they export), then shouldn’t they favor a stronger currency, as opposed to trying to weaken it??