Today We’re Watching the Brazilian Real and WalmartÂ
Bolsonaro, the president of Brazil, has contracted coronavirus. Of course, we wish him well, but this compounds a bear case for the Real pitted against most other currencies. It’s likely that if Bolsonaro gets taken out or down, political pressure will force business shutdowns, and progress towards herd immunity will go wasted.
Bolsonaro isn’t a believer in lockdowns. He thinks the suffering from job losses is too great, and he won’t be getting another term for thinking that. The country has remained open where possible, but it’s interesting to compare the iShares MSCI Brazil exchange-traded fund (ETF), that has still barely kept afloat, with the S&P 500 in America.Â
The latter is soaring despite rising cases, and the same for the iShares fund for Sweden, also revived as the nation follows a herd immunity model. Let the debate rage on!
Also, Walmart is putting up a heroic fight against Amazon.
It’s made all the right decisions to protect its market share, testament to a phenomenal management team that investors are keen to take a stake in. The market was all ears to an announcement from Walmart yesterday about its answer to Amazon Prime.
It’s Walmart+, a subscription service costing just shy of one hundred dollars per year. You get same-day groceries and fuel discounts at Walmart gas stations. However, the Prime ecosystem is a flywheel already up to speed and serving all kinds of needs. More information about Walmart+ will be released for investors this month.
We’ll bring it to you!Â
I am not a financial advisor and my comments should never be taken as financial advice. Investments come with risk, so always do your research and analysis beforehand.