The Brazilian real strengthened against the dollar on Tuesday (8), with the US currency closing at R$ 5.089, down 0.79%, its lowest closing level since August 7. In plain terms, US$ 100 cost R$ 508.90 at the end of trading. Given the 7.28% drop accumulated this year, tracked by state news agency Agência Brasil, that same purchase cost about R$ 40 more at the start of 2026.
The stock market moved the other way: the Ibovespa, the benchmark index of the B3 exchange in São Paulo, rose 1.20% to 187,366 points, its highest close since May 4. Trading volume reached R$ 29.76 billion. Shares of Petrobras, the most traded in the index, gained 2.08% (preferred) and 2.36% (common), lifted by oil prices abroad.
Abroad, Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, closed at US$ 97.92 (+0.9%), and WTI, the US reference, at US$ 93.03 (+1.7%). According to Agência Brasil, prices rose after attacks on cities in southern Saudi Arabia and on energy facilities amid tensions in the Persian Gulf. The Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world's oil supply passed before the conflict escalated, remains a central concern.
Why polls move the exchange rate
The spot dollar is the price, in reais, of a dollar delivered immediately, and it swings with investor bets on interest rates, inflation and public finances, issues that change with the winner of the October presidential race. That is why traders watch voter intention polls. On Tuesday, InfoMoney linked the currency's decline to the rise of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in the polls, while G1 listed the electoral outlook and oil among the day's drivers.
Surveys released in recent days showed Flávio, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, numerically ahead of President Lula in second-round scenarios, including a BTG/Nexus poll that put the race at 46% to 45%. In September, the dollar has already fallen 1.82% over five sessions, after rising 2.16% in August. Foreign investors keep buying Brazilian stocks: net inflows totaled R$ 3.9 billion in the month's first three sessions, according to B3 data.
For household budgets, a cheaper dollar eases the cost of imported goods, from electronics to wheat and fertilizers. Pricier oil pulls the other way: contracts pared their gains during the day on fears that more expensive fuel could weigh on inflation and global growth, Agência Brasil reported. The currency traded between R$ 5.1289 and R$ 5.0713 through the session.