Brazil Bulls Turn Bearish as Star Minister’s Exit Fuels a New Crisis

  • Real and stocks are worst performers in world as Moro quits
  • Investors growing concerned about political crisis escalating
Sergio Moro arrives for a news conference at the Ministry of Justice in Brasilia on April 24.Photographer: Andres Borges/Bloomberg
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Brazilian assets reclaimed their post as worst-in-the-world with a bang as clashes between President Jair Bolsonaro and some of his top ministers eroded what was left of investors’ optimism.

Stocks sank as much as 9.6% and the currency reached an all-time low of 5.7456 per dollar as Justice Minister Sergio Moro, one of Bolsonaro’s “super ministers,” quit. His departure comes at a time when the administration is already ripe with infighting amid the coronavirus pandemic -- which investors fear could end up causing Economy Minister Paulo Guedes to leave, too.