28.03.201819:04:00UTC+00ARGENTINA: Merval Closes With Losses In The Week And The Month

Merval, the main index of the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange, closed the last trading day of the week and the month with a 0.40% loss at 31.108.86 points Wednesday, tracking the U.S. markets. The Merval ended the week with a loss of 1.33% and closed March with a 5.73% drop. In the quarter, however, the Merval rose 3.48%.

The stronger U.S. dollar abroad combined with the increase in U.S. crude inventories led oil prices to collapse. As a result, Petrobras stocks ended down 1.91%.

Other shares that recorded losses were Agrometal (-1.83%) and Consultatio (-1.72%). Meanwhile, Autopista del Sol (+ 3.71%) and Aluar (+ 3.03%) closed higher.

The locally traded U.S. dollar closed the last day of the week and month with a subtle drop of 0.09%, quoted at 20.14 Argentinean pesos, with the Central Bank of Argentina (BCRA) intervening to stop the rise of the currency in the local exchange market before the Easter holidays.