Brazil’s Equities Slump to 375th in Global Trading Volume as Petrobras Falls Amid Macroeconomic Pressures

On September 26, 2025, Brazilian equities traded with a total volume of $0.28 billion, ranking 375th among global markets. Petrobras (PBR) declined 0.23% amid mixed signals from energy sector developments and macroeconomic indicators.

Recent corporate governance updates highlighted potential regulatory shifts in Brazil’s energy sector, with analysts noting increased scrutiny on state-owned entities’ operational efficiency. Market participants remain cautious as policymakers weigh environmental compliance measures against production targets, creating short-term uncertainty for energy stocks.

Macroeconomic data released mid-week showed Brazil’s trade deficit narrowing to $1.2 billion, driven by stronger export volumes in agricultural commodities. However, inflation expectations remain elevated, with central bank officials reiterating their commitment to maintaining restrictive monetary policy until Q1 2026. This stance has dampened investor appetite for leveraged sectors, including utilities and infrastructure.

To set up this back-test correctly I’ll need to pin down a few practical details: Universe – Should I screen the entire U.S. common-stock universe (NYSE + NASDAQ + AMEX), or a different market/universe? Rank metric – “Daily trading volume” measured in number of shares traded (standard) – is that acceptable, or would you prefer dollar volume? Portfolio construction – Equal-weight each of the 500 names every day, or weight them by volume? Trade mechanics – Buy at today’s close, sell at tomorrow’s close (i.e., 1-day holding period) – correct? Assume zero transaction costs and slippage, or would you like to include a cost assumption? Any risk controls (e.g., stop-loss, max drawdown) you’d like layered on? Once I have these details I can generate the data-retrieval plan and run the back-test.