Brazil's B3 oil, gas and fuel stocks hit record trading volume

In March, Brazil's B3 exchange recorded a historic R$133.07 billion in financial movement for oil, gas and fuel stocks, the highest volume in the first quarter of the year and surpassing the totals for January, February and April. Petrobras alone saw its trading volume surge from R$34.6 billion in February to R$85.1 billion in March, an increase of about R$50 billion in a single month. Other sector players such as Prio and Vibra also posted sizable jumps in activity.

The spike coincided with global oil prices hovering near or above US$100 per barrel, a trend the B3 attributes to heightened external volatility stemming from the United States‑Iran conflict. B3 noted that investors tend to increase turnover in commodity‑exposed sectors during periods of heightened market turbulence.