Dawn Kissi – Open Markets, 10/31/2013
An impressive amount for one of the world’s largest emerging markets, yes. However many in the know and those with knowledge of how Brazil’s Central Bank thinks and operates, sees the market intervention as business as usual for BACEN.
Since early 2013, Brazil’s Central bank has been offering approximately the same amount of USD daily intervention swaps to the market on a regular basis, according to Brazil economists and analysts. The key difference with the action taken in August is that the Bank had actually been intervening in the markets via larger auctions, less frequently and on unpredictable dates. In essence, by shifting to a regular schedule and making their plans public, BACEN has now reassured the market, as well as helped to stabilize any expectations, particularly during days of reduced liquidity, explains Paulo Vieira da Cunha, Former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Brazil.
According to Vieira da Cunha, “the Central Bank continued to accumulate FX reserves even as it was offering this massive volume of DI/Swaps.” Overwhelmingly, the majority of FX transactions handled in Brazil are done through the futures market, which trades at BM&F Bovespa. The country’s cash (pronto) market is a small one and often illiquid.
Brazil Portal 