Brazil ETFs Sink After Doubtful Impeachment Vote

Related: Bad News for Brazil ETFs

“…local news sources in Brazil are reporting that the acting leader of the lower house, Waldir Maranhao, has annulled the vote that took place last month, which impeached President Rousseff and moved proceedings onto the Senate. (The previous speaker of the lower house, Eduardo Cunha, under whom the vote was cast, was suspended late last week while he faces corruption charges.) Mr. Maranhao says the decision to annul the vote was taken on the basis of procedural errors and that, as a result, the vote must return to the lower house. Up until this interjection, a vote to put Rousseff on trial was scheduled for the Senate on Wednesday,” according to a Capital Economics note posted by Dimitra DeFotis of Barron’s.

Traders willing to bet on more downside for EWZ can consider the ProShares UltraShort MSCI Brazil Capped ETF (NYSEArca: BZQ). BZQ attempts to deliver two times inverse of the daily performance of the MSCI Brazil 25/50 Index, which acts as the underlying index for EWZ.

“What happens next is unclear. It’s by no means certain that Mr. Maranhao has the authority to return the vote to the lower house, and the ensuing confusion risks triggering a constitutional crisis. What’s more, even if the vote is returned to the lower house, it seems unlikely that the outcome will be radically different from the first vote. The odds are still skewed heavily towards president Rousseff being removed from office,” adds Capital Economics in the note posted by Barron’s.

For more information on the Brazil ETF market, visit our Brazil category.

iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF