The main Brazilian stock index, Ibovespa, closed up 0.26% on Thursday (15th), breaking historical records to reach 165,568 points, marking a second consecutive day of record highs. On that day, the index surpassed the 166,000-point mark for the first time, with blue-chip stocks once again driving the index higher, particularly with notable performance in the financial sector stocks.

It is understood that this increase was mainly driven by the easing of external tensions and expectations of interest rate cuts in Brazil. The US dollar against the Brazilian real fell by 0.62%, to 5.3680.

Domestically, Brazil saw a 1% increase in retail sales in November, indicating a slowdown in economic activity that has raised market expectations for a rate cut by the central bank. Low interest rates are encouraging investment to shift from fixed-income markets to the stock market.

According to data released by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) on Thursday, retail sales in Brazil grew by 1% in November last year, exceeding economists' forecast of 0.3% growth and representing a 1.3% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

Despite a decrease in total investments, the photovoltaic solar energy industry created over 319,800 green jobs in 2025. Since 2012, the solar energy sector has brought in over 282.6 billion reais in investments and created over 1.9 million new jobs in Brazil.

Rodrigo Sauaia, CEO of Absolar, emphasized that despite a contraction in the Brazilian photovoltaic market in 2025, solar energy continues to play a crucial role in providing clean, competitive, and resilient power supply.

Overall, the Brazilian stock index saw an overall increase, with Ibovespa rising by 1.35% this week, 2.76% this month, and 2.76% year-to-date. The US dollar against the real rose by 0.05% this week, but fell by 2.20% this month and year-to-date. However, the stock market opened lower on Friday, with Ibovespa falling by 0.75% as of 11:30 AM to 164,326 points.