Key Points —President Sheinbaum met Petrobras CEO Magda Chambriard on April 25 to formalize Pemex Petrobras cooperation in exploration, production, refining, and biodiesel. —Petrobras technical teams will visit Mexico on May 13 to work alongside Pemex engineers on deep-water extraction and ethanol production. —Sheinbaum plans to visit Brazil in May to sign a broader bilateral […]

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3 Key Points —WEG (WEGE3) reported Q1 2026 net income of R$1.457 billion ($277M), down 5.7% year-over-year and 8.2% quarter-over-quarter, missing the Bloomberg consensus of R$1.56 billion by approximately 7% — the fifth disappointment in the last six quarters for Brazil’s most internationally followed industrial blue-chip, with EBITDA of R$2.10 billion ($399M) declining 3.2% and […]

The post Brazil’s WEG Disappoints Again as Q1 Profit Falls 6% on Solar Collapse and Strong Real appeared first on The Rio Times.

Key Points — Cosan SA (B3:CSAN3, NYSE:CSAN) is preparing the Compass IPO Brazil — taking subsidiary Compass Gás e Energia public on B3 at an estimated R$25 billion valuation (US$5 billion) — in what would be the first major Brazilian IPO in over five years. Cosan filed the registration request with CVM on March 5 […]

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Key Points — Brazil’s macro calendar lands its three most consequential events of the second quarter inside a 72-hour window. Copom decides the Selic Tuesday-Wednesday April 28-29 with consensus expecting a 25 basis-point cut to 14.50% with hawkish guidance — not the 50 basis-point cut that had been priced as recently as three weeks ago. […]

The post Brazil’s Packed Week: Copom, Fed, Inflation Data, and Vale-Santander-WEG Earnings – All Land Together  appeared first on The Rio Times.

Rio Times Daily Market Brief · Brazil Saturday, April 25, 2026 · Covering the session of Friday, April 24 The Big Three 1. The Ibovespa fell 0.33% to 190,745.02 (−633.41 points) on Friday — the third consecutive decline and the second losing week — as the index bled lower on narrowing volume and deteriorating technicals. […]

The post Ibovespa Grinds to 190K — Dollar Rejects R$5, Copom Monday appeared first on The Rio Times.

Key Points —President Lula’s government decided on Wednesday April 22 to formally reject the creation of Terrabras — a state-owned critical minerals company proposed by part of his own PT party. —Minister of Industry Márcio Elias Rosa confirmed on Friday that MDIC sees no need for a state company to handle exploration, refining, and processing […]

The post Lula Rejects Critical Minerals State Company, Backs BNDES Model appeared first on The Rio Times.

Key Points — Brazil’s first-quarter trade surplus reached a record US$14.2 billion — up 47.6% year-on-year — driven by total Q1 exports of US$82.3 billion, also a historical record. Crude oil exports alone jumped 31% to US$12.56 billion as Asian buyers rerouted purchases away from Middle East suppliers during the Iran war disruption. — The […]

The post Brazil’s Q1 Trade Surplus Hits US$14.2 Billion Record as Iran War Pivots Oil Flows appeared first on The Rio Times.

Key Points — The Banco Central do Brasil Focus survey published Monday raised the 2026 IPCA projection for a sixth consecutive week to 4.80%, up from 4.71% the prior week and 4.17% four weeks ago — now above the 4.50% inflation target ceiling. — The Selic forecast jumped 50 basis points to 13.00% for year-end […]

The post Brazil: Six Weeks of Upward Inflation Revisions Before Copom appeared first on The Rio Times.

Key Points The Safra family banking dynasty traces its roots to 1840s Aleppo and today controls over $590 billion in assets under management across Banco Safra, J. Safra Sarasin, and Safra National Bank of New York — making it one of the most consequential private banking empires in the world. A multi-year inheritance dispute between […]

The post The Safra Family and Banco Safra: A Complete Guide to Brazil’s Banking Dynasty appeared first on The Rio Times.

Key Points Palmeiras lead the 2026 Brasileirão by six points after 11 rounds, while Flamengo — despite sacking their most successful coach hours after an 8-0 win — are flying in the Copa Libertadores under new boss Leonardo Jardim. Flamengo’s annual revenue reached a record US$380 million, making them the only non-European club near the […]

The post Brazil Football 2026: Brasileirão, World Cup, and the Business of the Beautiful Game appeared first on The Rio Times.

Key Points Rodrigo Paz ended two decades of MAS rule in November 2025 and immediately declared an economic emergency, cutting fuel subsidies, slashing the budget, and securing over $8 billion in multilateral financing — halving Bolivia’s country risk from ~2,100 to 477 basis points within months. S&P issued a rare double-notch upgrade (CCC− to CCC+) […]

The post Bolivia Economy 2026: Political Break, Reform Agenda, and What Comes Next appeared first on The Rio Times.

Key Points Gilmar Mendes, the STF’s longest-serving active justice, faces a formal congressional impeachment recommendation for the first time in Brazilian history — stemming from the Banco Master financial scandal and allegations he annulled legislative subpoenas to protect colleague justices. His private law institute (IDP) has received documented funding from JBS (a firm convicted in […]

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