Brasília, April 20, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - The Federal Government's Internal Financial Debt (DPMFi) in notes, bonds, and other titles increased 2.25% in March, in comparison with February, to US$ 260.5 billion (R$ 759.9 billion). These titles can be exchanged or renegotiated periodically, depending on the interests of the government and investors. The figures that appear in the report released today show that the recent increase is mainly due to interest payments and a net offer of titles worth US$ 2.09 billion (R$ 6.1 billion).

According to the coordinator of Public Debt in the Federal Treasury, Paulo Valle, it was necessary to add R$ 6.1 in titles in March in order to alleviate the burden in April and May, the months in which there is the greatest concentration of titles to liquidate.

The average repayment period for federal government titles fell from 30.7 to 30 months.

Translator: David Silberstein