is the stock market open today

-Brazil's benchmark Ibovespa stocks index opened slightly lower amid light trade Friday, with many foreign investors sidelined due to the Independence Day holiday in the U.S.The benchmark Ibovespa stock index opened 0.1% lower at 50,995 points on the Brazilian Stock Exchange, or BMFBovespa.

Traders expected low volume Friday because of the lack of a reference market in New York.Risk aversion remains a key market driver following disappointing U.S. employment data Thursday. The pessimistic tone continued Friday after the release of negative retail sales figures from Europe.The volume of retail sales in the euro zone fell 0.4% from April and 3.3% from May 2008, according to official figures released Friday. Declines were significantly larger than expected, furthering fears the global recession may prove more persistent than originally thought. Estimates indicated a smaller decline of 0.2% from the previous month and 2.7% from a year earlier.Meanwhile, the BMFBovespa exchange reported Friday that net inflows by foreign investors totaled 10.1 billion Brazilian reals ($5.2 billion) in the first half of 2009. Foreign investors represented 36.5% of all transactions in June, down from 37.2% in May.