The opening of theSouth Summit Brazil , which began its three-day marathon of panels and side events in Porto Alegre, did not include the presence of the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite (PSD).
Leite traveled to São Paulo to meet with Gilberto Kassab, the president of the PSD party, to discuss who will be the party's candidate for President of the Republic. He and Ronaldo Caiado , governor of Goiás, are vying for the nomination, after Ratinho Jr., governor of Paraná, withdrew from the race.
The day before, Leite, in a meeting with business leaders from Rio Grande do Sul at a pre-opening event for the South Summit Brazil, said that he would only leave his position as governor to run for president. Otherwise, he will remain in charge of the government of Rio Grande do Sul until the end of his term.
Businesspeople and investors interviewed by NeoFeed believe that Leite wants to launch his national campaign to become better known, even knowing that it will be difficult to break the polarization between Flávio Bolsonaro and Lula.
One of them recalled an old saying attributed to the politician from Minas Gerais, Magalhães Pinto: "Politics is like a cloud. You look at it and it's one way. You look again and it's already changed."
The presidential election was a recurring theme at an event with investors, one day before the opening of the South Summit Brazil, an event for which NeoFeed is a media partner.
Venture capital managers believe this is one of the most important issues this year, as it could influence the investment landscape in Brazil, and they are discouraged by the lack of a third way to break the polarization.
Another issue that has gained relevance is the war between the United States and Iran. Many managers believe that prolonging the conflict will have negative consequences for the sector.
The reason is simple: the world was moving towards a scenario of controlled inflation and central banks around the world reducing interest rates.
The war reversed this trend and dampened the enthusiasm that was beginning to return to the world of alternative investments, with lower interest rates, a key factor in increasing investors' risk appetite.
"Everything has become unstable and uncertain again. This is not good for the asset class," said one manager, referring to capital allocation in venture capital.
