Andres Cardenal
CFA, Economist & Financial Analyst, Investment Columnist
Brazilian equities remain a strong opportunity against other global emerging markets because fiscal easing, rate cuts and Brazil's critical-minerals edge survive election results. Brazil is down only 6% for the month after an earlier rally and remains near its four-month range. Lula's terms have been net positive for EWZ; this is a bet on Brazil's outlook, not on who wins the presidency. x.com x.com x.comÂ
Brazil's election-driven selloff and this week's volatility offer an opportunity to build a South American stock portfolio. MercadoLibre ranks first, followed by Nu, Itau Unibanco, Credicorp, Inter and dLocal. x.comÂ
Crowded Brazil and EWZ longs are exposed after Lula's surprise election win, as reported by negligible_cap. MercadoLibre and many others are going to get absolutely nuked tomorrow. x.comÂ
Excellent management makes dLocal, MercadoLibre and Nu Holdings three great companies to pick up at a discount after the Lula-election selloff. Their Brazil exposure sent them down 9%, 9% and 22% on claims that the investment climate had worsened, a claim worth questioning. x.comÂ
MercadoLibre's growth under Lula makes today's selloff look absurd. On a TTM basis since Q1 2023, revenue is up 206% and EPS 200%; having done so well during his term, it should be fine going forward. x.com x.comÂ
Socialist politics are a poor backdrop for Brazilian equities. A 23% drop in EWZ is not a compelling long case when it merely returns prices to where they stood before the first election. x.comÂ
MercadoLibre and Nu Holdings have massive runways and have thrived across political backdrops, so they do not need tax cuts or deregulation to keep winning. Both have performed extremely well in Brazil under Lula since 2023, even in a fragile macro backdrop. The election-driven selloff left these cream-of-the-crop businesses at lower multiples, and more near-term selloffs are possible. x.com x.com x.com x.comÂ
Brazilian equities offer commodity and critical-mineral exposure, faster renewable-powered data-center grid connections, and diversification from the US. EWZ's $702 million inflow on October 5 was the largest daily inflow in the chart's history. That supports the bull case as investors recognize Brazil's potential, though the rush also looks like reactive FOMO. x.comÂ
Brazilian equities could take months to absorb exits by funds unwilling to hold stocks under Lula, despite single-digit P/Es. The Bovespa looks to be putting in a 3.5-year cycle peak, and EWZ looks lower over the next few weeks or months. After a failed breakout, EWZ likely returns to the bottom of its consolidation near $26 weekly demand, though a short-term bounce may come first. x.comÂ
Nubank, Sea Limited and MercadoLibre are all great buys now, with Bolsonaro's first-round victory in Brazil good news for Brazil-exposed names. Per @StockMarketNerd, he performed much better than polls indicated and is generally seen as the more business-friendly candidate. Emerging-market names like these also serve as hedges against the US market. x.comÂ