The Brazilian real closed slightly weaker

The Brazilian real closed slightly weaker against the U.S. dollar Friday following the release of weak economic data at home and abroad.   The real ended at BRL2.3820 per dollar in trading on the Brazilian Mercantile & Futures Exchange, or BM&F, weaker than Thursday's close at  BRL2.3800.   Data released Friday did nothing to improve market mood, which remains tense amid waves of bad news coming from the U.S. and Europe.   Early Friday, much awaited economic data from the U.S. showed that unemployment soared to 8.1% in February, from 7.6% in the previous month. Although in line with expectations, the data showed the U.S. employment situation remains bleak.   Meanwhile, in Brazil, industrial production data showed signs of recovery in January but still came in lower than expectations. Brazil's industrial production rose 2.3% in January, compared to December, the Brazilian Census Bureau, or IBGE, said. Analysts polled by the local Estado news agency had forecast a rise of 8.0% in January.   Brazil's Central Bank remained on the sidelines, declining to intervene in local currency markets to stem the real's fall as it did last year.   Weak industrial production data reinforced ideas that the central bank will make a deep cut in the benchmark Selic interest rate when it meets next week. A Dow Jones Newswires survey of analysts came up with a median forecast of a 100 basis point cut from the current level of 12.75%.   Local interest rate futures contracts fell on ideas of a sharp cut.   The rate on the most actively traded futures contract, April, slid to 11.72% from 11.82%. The contracts reflect investors' expectations for interest rates at future dates.   The interbank overnight rate was 12.62%, even with Thursday's close.