Inter & Co's newer cohorts do not mature at the same rates as older ones despite higher starting ARPACs, putting it at risk of serious trouble in the next credit cycle. Its leverage is much higher than Nubank's, yet its risk-adjusted returns are 5-6% against Nubank's 10-12%. Inter's ROE is below the 16%+ cost of capital for Brazilian fintech banks, leaving it unclear whether it can earn above that hurdle over time. x.com 

Nu Holdings' upcoming earnings look unlikely to be well received if the market does not reward Inter & Co's results, since the two have historically traded similarly around earnings. Both operate in the same credit cycle, but Nu has a much lower share of secured lending, putting it at a credit-risk disadvantage, though it is more diversified across countries. x.com 

Nubank is a good entry again because enough uncertainty is priced in to justify the remaining downside risk. Underwriting and risk-adjusted returns have never been better and keep surprising to the upside, and the loan book is very short-dated. Payroll and secured loans are its next growth wave in Brazil, where it adds 12 million users a year while ARPAC rises. With 40–50%+ ROE and close to 50% revenue growth, it is not out of growth. x.com  x.com  x.com  x.com 

Brazilian equities look uninvestable as the political shift toward socialism threatens to make an already poor inflation-adjusted long-term bet worse. The Brazil ETF's sharp decline after the political outcome illustrates the concern, though individual winners remain possible. x.com  x.com  x.com 

MercadoLibre's business results should begin inflecting as credit portfolio growth slows now that the book has reached scale. An excellent outcome in Brazil improves the economic backdrop, and the stock sat at the technical bottom of its consolidation wedge. The economic backdrop, forward results and technicals all look very bullish. x.com  x.com 

Nu Holdings' sustained growth makes election-driven pessimism look overdone. Quarterly revenue before credit-loss provisions grew at a 45.1% annualized rate from Q1 2023 to Q2 2026 under Lula. This Brazilian shock looks like the tariff scare, when markets quickly shrugged off initial pessimism. FedexSTi notes that Nu reached 139 million customers and $1 billion in quarterly net income after enduring Brazil's 2014-16 recession, Dilma's impeachment and the pandemic. x.com  x.com  x.com 

Banco Santander Brasil offers exposure to a stronger Brazilian currency, with a dividend yield above 7% and consensus estimates of sharply accelerating EPS. Its post-election pullback does not make sense. x.com 

Upstart has no AI underwriting moat; it is simply winning fewer personal-loan customers in a higher-rate environment while spending heavily. Originations rose 61% to $3.4 billion on auto (+300%) and home (+250%) with personal loans flat, but it returned to a GAAP net loss as contribution margin fell to 50% from 55% and operating expenses rose 45% to about $316 million. If the 10-year stays above 4.4%, a 55x P/E faces brutal valuation gravity, though hitting the $294M EBITDA guide would help. … Show more

Nu Holdings' loan book is performing even though Brazil's credit cycle is bad; the damage shows up at peers instead. @ThainRos notes the weak cycle is partly why Nu trades at 14x next-twelve-month earnings despite earnings growing around 40%. x.com 

Bank OZK's apparent credit improvement partly reflects loans moving into foreclosures that may not sell at full market value. Problem assets fell about 14%, but foreclosed assets rose 43% to $420 million; the annualized net charge-off rate eased from 0.69% to 0.53%. Management expects losses to stay elevated into part of 2027 but anticipates improvement that year. Fed rate increases should instead drive losses dramatically higher. This is the calm before the storm, not a turnaround. x.com  x.com