Shares of Lojas Americanas S.A. (BVMF:LAME3) last traded at 15.32, representing a move of -2.11%, or -0.33 per share, on volume of 1.32M shares. After opening the trading day at 15.73, shares of Lojas Americanas S.A. traded in a close range. Lojas Americanas S.A. currently has a total float of 1.93B shares and on average sees 937,862 shares exchange hands each day. The stock now has a 52-week low of 10.56 and high of 15.9.

Ibovespa: Creating Healthy Trade and Commerce

In South America, Brazil has one of the most influential economies— thanks to its thriving and healthy trade and commerce environment. It is impossible to question the nation’s fast-paced economic growth with a valuable equity market contributing a lot to the process. And among many growing companies Lojas Americanas S.A. stays one of the main players there.

Brazilian Trade and Commerce

One of South America’s largest stock exchanges is the main stock exchange in Brazil, the Brazilian Mercantile and Futures (BM&F) Bovespa. Given its global dominance and influence, it has offices all over the world, particularly in big cities such as Shanghai, New York City (NYC), and London.

The pre-market trading on the BM&F Bovespa lasts for 15 minutes, starting at 9:45 a.m. and ending at 10:00 a.m; the regular trading lasts for seven and a half hours, starting at 10:00 a.m. and ending at 5:30 p.m.; and the post-market trading lasts for an hour and a half, starting at 6:00 p.m. and ending at 7:30 p.m.

The Ibovespa Brasil Sao Paulo Stock Exchange Index, on the other hand, is the market-capitalization-weighted index that tracks the 50 largest companies listed on the BM&F Bovespa, representing 70% of its total market valuation. Lojas Americanas S.A. is one of the members of IBOV.

The Ibovespa is rebalanced four times a year in order to make sure that the components provide a clearer picture of the BM&F Bovespa. Eligibility for inclusion in the Ibovespa depends on several factors. First, a company must of course be listed on the BM&F Bovespa— for not less than one year. Also, 80% or more of its shares must also be traded on the BM&F Bovespa actively.

History

The Brazilian equity market is one of those with rich histories backing its success.

Established on August 23, 1890, the BM&F Bovespa is one of the first stock exchanges in South America. The government had a tight grip on it as a public entity during that time.

Nearly a hundred years after the establishment of the BM&F Bovespa, electronic trading had finally been implemented in 1972. A few years later, the Private System of Telephone Trading had been launched to enable trading through the telephone.

In 1997, the Mega Bolsa, an all-new and improved electronic trading system, had been introduced to replace the old one. Before the end of that decade, the Home Broker, an online trading system, has been launched to make trading at home more convenient for investors and to facilitate faster transactions.

In 2007, the BM&F Bovespa had finally become a profit entity. And it gave the green light to the Lojas Americanas S.A. company. Without the government strictly interfering in its operations, the trade and commerce industry in Brazil had flourished further. On May 8, 2008, it had officially become the BM&F Bovespa after the successful merger of the BM&F Exchange and the Bovespa.

There is no better way to enter the South American equity market than to invest on BM&F Bovespa stocks; and the best time to bet on Brazil’s growth prospects in the long run is today.

Lojas Americanas S.A. operates a chain of retail stores in Brazil. The company has market cap of $29.63 billion. The Company’s retail chain comprises bricks-and-mortar stores; and e-commerce, kiosks, home shopping, and others in Brazil. It has a 63.05 P/E ratio. The firm offers products in various categories, such as toys, chocolates, candies, apparel, lingerie, CDs and DVDs, games, health and beauty products, housewares, household utilities, stationery, Christmas articles, and cookies.