São Paulo

São Paulo follows Brasília Time (UTC−3) all year. For decades the south and south-east of Brazil observed summer time, usually from October or November to February, but a decree in April 2019 ended it after studies showed the energy savings had largely disappeared as peak electricity use shifted to the afternoon. The last clock change happened in February 2019.

Brazil has four time zones: UTC−2 for Fernando de Noronha and other Atlantic islands; UTC−3 for Brasília, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and most of the population; UTC−4 for much of Amazonas and Mato Grosso; and UTC−5 for Acre and western Amazonas. Acre was moved to UTC−4 in 2008 and returned to UTC−5 in 2013 after a referendum.

Because Brazil no longer changes its clocks but the United States does, the gap with New York switches between 1 and 2 hours. The B3 stock exchange has adjusted its trading hours seasonally to stay aligned with US markets, so it is worth checking the exchange calendar around March and November.

São Paulo is in the Southern Hemisphere, so its seasons are reversed: the summer holidays run from late December into January, and Carnival — whose dates move with Easter, falling in February or early March — slows business across the country. A 9 a.m. meeting in São Paulo is noon in London in the northern winter, which makes the city one of the easiest in the Americas to work with Europe.