Brazil Central Bank to Step Into Markets Again to Support Real

(Bloomberg) -- Brazil’s central bank announced it will sell dollars in the spot market for a second day to support the real amid a rout in global assets.

Policy makers will offer up to $2 billion in a spot auction on Tuesday, according to a statement. They sold about $3.5 billion in two auctions on Monday, the first such intervention this year.

The central bank had been stepping into the foreign exchange markets only via swap auctions, of which it sold $9.5 billion in the past month in a bid to contain the volatility.

The change comes as the collapse in global markets triggered by a selloff in crude added pressure to the real, which was already the world’s worst currency. The real is down 15% this year as record low rates diminish its carry appeal and as disappointing economic data casts doubt on Brazil’s recovery.

This morning, the central bank pledged to continue intervening in the foreign exchange market with all instruments available and for as long as needed. The bank’s Monetary Policy Director Bruno Serra refrained from announcing a program to systematically sell dollars from Brazil’s foreign reserves, but said this doesn’t mean the central bank is stepping out of the market any time soon.

To contact the reporter on this story: Julia Leite in Sao Paulo at jleite3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Daniel Cancel at dcancel@bloomberg.net, Aline Oyamada

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