By Jeffrey T. Lewis and Luciana Magalhaes
SÃO PAULO–Petróleo Brasileiro’s preferred shares rose 4.3% Tuesday after the Brazilian state-controlled oil company known as Petrobras said it was changing its policy for setting gasoline and diesel fuel prices.
The preferred shares reached 26.76 reais, the equivalent of $5.46, and are up 4.7% from the end of last year through Monday’s close. Brazil’s benchmark Ibovespa stocks index was up 0.8% in mid-morning trading.
Petrobras said Tuesday morning that it decided to abandon its previous pricing policy, which was based on international market conditions, in favor of one that uses market references, including the customer’s alternative costs and Petrobras’s marginal value. Analysts had speculated that prices would have been subject to government discretion under the new policy.
Mirae Asset investment analyst Pedro Galdi said the new policy would result in fewer price changes, reducing price volatility and easing pressure on inflation.
Write to Jeffrey T. Lewis at [email protected] and Luciana Magalhaes at [email protected]
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