Brazil shares higher at close of trade; Bovespa up 0.45%

Investing.com – Brazil equities were higher at the close on Friday, as gains in the Public Utilities , Real Estate and Consumption sectors propelled shares higher.

At the close in Sao Paulo, the Bovespa gained 0.45%.

The biggest gainers of the session on the Bovespa were Fleury SA (SA: FLRY3 ), which rose 4.36% or 1.19 points to trade at 28.50 at the close. Marfrig Alimentos SA (SA: MRFG3 ) added 3.61% or 0.22 points to end at 6.32 and CEMIG - Companhia Energetica Minas Gerais Pref (SA: CMIG4 ) was up 2.61% or 0.21 points to 8.25 in late trade.

Biggest losers included Cia Siderurgica Nacional SA (SA: CSNA3 ), which lost 5.05% or 0.49 points to trade at 9.21 in late trade. Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais (SA: USIM5 ) declined 3.90% or 0.46 points to end at 11.34 and Metalurgica Gerdau SA (SA: GOAU4 ) shed 2.38% or 0.19 points to 7.79.

Declining stocks outnumbered rising ones by 217 to 192 and 33 ended unchanged on the BM&FBovespa Stock Exchange.

The CBOE Brazil Etf Volatility , which measures the implied volatility of Bovespa options, was down 1.68% to 31.58.

In commodities trading, Gold Futures for April delivery was up 1.36% or 17.80 to $1323.00 a troy ounce. Meanwhile, Crude oil for delivery in April rose 0.69% or 0.42 to hit $61.41 a barrel, while the May US coffee C contract fell 1.37% or 1.70 to trade at $122.22 .

USD/BRL was up 0.04% to 3.2528, while EUR/BRL rose 0.52% to 4.0092.

The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.33% at 89.92.