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Brazil real closes firmer after dlr-pegged notes sale

SAO PAULO: Brazil's real BRBY currency firmed 0.7 percent to 1.737 per dollar on Friday from Thursday's 1.749 as inflows of foreign currency improved and dollar demand was absorbed by Central Bank's sale of dollar-linked notes, traders said.

They said the real could still face some pressure next month as a big chunk of foreign debt by Brazilian companies is coming due, but some expressed hope that most of the debt would be rolled over and real stay firm thanks to dollar inflows.

Brazil's Central Bank on Friday sold 1.2 billion reais worth of its dollar-indexed NBC-E notes, which traditionally take the pressure off the real. Apart from the past week, the real has showed healthy growth against the dollar in the past two or three months. -Reuters