Leila Melhado/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Thesis MercadoLibre ( MELI ) has seen extraordinary growth over the past 5 years, expanding into a multinational company with a strong base of operations in South America. Through this, we have seen a transition from a purely E-Commerce company into a multi-product FinTech platform that has led to the company now being mispriced as an E-Commerce plat...
Leila Melhado/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Thesis MercadoLibre ( MELI ) has seen extraordinary growth over the past 5 years, expanding into a multinational company with a strong base of operations in South America. Through this, we have seen a transition from a purely E-Commerce company into a multi-product FinTech platform that has led to the company now being mispriced as an E-Commerce platform, despite the FinTech segment continuing to drive growth and long-term valuation. Due to these factors, along with an ecosystem flywheel that creates an unshakable moat and an expansion into credit that creates underappreciated growth opportunities, I am a Buy on MELI with ~15-20% upside, as I see a growth story that stretches far into the future. Company Background MercadoLibre is primarily known for its E-Commerce applications, with South America being its main operating region. However, it has 2 distinct operating segments, those being: E-Commerce (MercadoLibre): Operates and controls the MercadoLibre Marketplace, allowing 3rd-party sellers to list products, collecting fees, and similarly selling products from company inventory as well. FinTech (Mercado Pago): Mercado Pago is the leading FinTech platform/digital wallet in Latin America, serving as a comprehensive ecosystem that allows users/institutions to manage accounts, access credit, and process sales. Revenue streams are split ~57/43 ( 2025 10-K Page 43 ) for the E-Commerce and FinTech segments, respectively, with revenue collected from fees and 1st-party sales on the E-Commerce platform, along with transaction fees and credit service collections from the FinTech segment. A rapid expansion in credit, digital banking, and otherwise has accelerated the growth of the FinTech segment far beyond that of the E-Commerce segment. MercadoLibre still markets itself as the E-Commerce giant it is, but investors undervalue the growth and weight that FinTech has on future company earnings. For reference, in 2021, the FinTech ...
The iShares 1-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (NASDAQ:IGSB) and iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF (NASDAQ:ISTB) both target short-term U.S. dollar bonds, but IGSB charges a lower fee, yields slightly more, and has outperformed ISTB over the past one and five years. Both IGSB and ISTB serve as core fixed income options for investors seeking lower-duration exposure, but their approaches ...
The iShares 1-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (NASDAQ:IGSB) and iShares Core 1-5 Year USD Bond ETF (NASDAQ:ISTB) both target short-term U.S. dollar bonds, but IGSB charges a lower fee, yields slightly more, and has outperformed ISTB over the past one and five years. Both IGSB and ISTB serve as core fixed income options for investors seeking lower-duration exposure, but their approaches differ. IGSB focuses narrowly on investment-grade U.S. corporate bonds, while ISTB casts a wider net across investment-grade and high-yield bonds, including more diversified sectors. This comparison unpacks the key similarities and differences for cost, returns, risk, and portfolio makeup. Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year monthly returns. The 1-yr return represents total return over the trailing 12 months. Continue reading
Former US president and New York mayor read to a group of children and led a sing-along at a Bronx childcare center Barack Obama met with Zohran Mamdani for the first time on Saturday at a childcare center where the former Democratic US president and mayor of New York City read to preschoolers and led a sing-along. The meeting comes as Mamdani, a democratic socialist who marked his 100th day in of...
Former US president and New York mayor read to a group of children and led a sing-along at a Bronx childcare center Barack Obama met with Zohran Mamdani for the first time on Saturday at a childcare center where the former Democratic US president and mayor of New York City read to preschoolers and led a sing-along. The meeting comes as Mamdani, a democratic socialist who marked his 100th day in office just over a week earlier, is also trying to build a working relationship with Donald Trump – Obama’s Republican presidential successor. Continue reading...
Richard Drury/DigitalVision via Getty Images With a market capitalization of $109.7 million, First Reliance Bancshares ( FSRL ) is one of the smaller banks that I have looked at. But in recent years, management has succeeded in growing the revenue and profits of the business. Asset quality for the institution looks positive, and credit quality metrics check out. There has been some volatility when...
Richard Drury/DigitalVision via Getty Images With a market capitalization of $109.7 million, First Reliance Bancshares ( FSRL ) is one of the smaller banks that I have looked at. But in recent years, management has succeeded in growing the revenue and profits of the business. Asset quality for the institution looks positive, and credit quality metrics check out. There has been some volatility when it comes to the balance sheet, but nothing absurd. And when you consider how cheap the stock is on both an absolute basis and relative to other similar terms, I would argue that rating it a soft ‘buy’ makes sense here. Of course, the picture could change as new data comes in. Soon, we will have just that. Management is expected to announce financial results for the first quarter of the company's 2026 fiscal year on April 24th. Leading up to that date, the good news is that analysts are optimistic about the company, with revenue and profits forecasted to rise year over year. So long as we don't see any major unexpected developments that negatively impact the outlook for the company, I believe that my rating here will hold. It’s worth banking on First Reliance Bancshares For the uninitiated, First Reliance Bancshares is a rather interesting bank, having been incorporated back in 1999. The firm has historically operated in markets throughout South Carolina and North Carolina. And through the branches that it has in operation, it offers up traditional banking services. Given its size, it really doesn't do much more beyond that. However, management has been making a concerted effort to grow the company in recent years. Author - SEC EDGAR Data In the chart above, you can see the balance sheet for the company. From 2023 through 2025, deposits increased from $858.6 million to $948.1 million. As deposits increased, loans grew also. They expanded from $697.3 million to $771.1 million. Primarily, the company focuses on commercial real estate. About $466.3 million, or 59.8%, of its lo...
Social Security benefits are a key income source for many people, but not every retiree gets the same amount of money. While the average benefit in 2026 is $2,071 per month, some seniors receive significantly more deposited into their accounts each month. So, what is the biggest Social Security check any senior can receive this ... This is the Biggest Social Security Check Any Senior Will Get in 2...
Social Security benefits are a key income source for many people, but not every retiree gets the same amount of money. While the average benefit in 2026 is $2,071 per month, some seniors receive significantly more deposited into their accounts each month. So, what is the biggest Social Security check any senior can receive this ... This is the Biggest Social Security Check Any Senior Will Get in 2026
With a virtual monopoly on the production of advanced logic chips, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM) is at the heart of the artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure boom. TSMC, as it is also known, just reported strong Q1 results, although it wasn't enough to give its already strong stock price a lift. However, with the stock trading at a forward P/E of around 24 times this year's ...
With a virtual monopoly on the production of advanced logic chips, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM) is at the heart of the artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure boom. TSMC, as it is also known, just reported strong Q1 results, although it wasn't enough to give its already strong stock price a lift. However, with the stock trading at a forward P/E of around 24 times this year's earnings, now may be a good time to buy shares. TSMC continued to benefit from the demand for the AI chips it specializes in producing. Management said, given the demand it was seeing, that its capital expenditure ( capex ) spending would be at the high end of its prior $52 billion and $56 billion guidance range, with a focus on expanding its 3-nm technology capacity. Image source: The Motley Fool. Continue reading
According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission dated April 14, 2026, Ocean Park Asset Management, LLC sold all 812,100 shares of VanEck Fallen Angel High Yield Bond ETF (NASDAQ:ANGL) in the first quarter. The estimated transaction value was $23.82 million, calculated using the average closing price for the period. The quarter-end position value declined by $23.85 million, reflec...
According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission dated April 14, 2026, Ocean Park Asset Management, LLC sold all 812,100 shares of VanEck Fallen Angel High Yield Bond ETF (NASDAQ:ANGL) in the first quarter. The estimated transaction value was $23.82 million, calculated using the average closing price for the period. The quarter-end position value declined by $23.85 million, reflecting both trading and price effects. The VanEck Fallen Angel High Yield Bond ETF (ANGL) provides institutional investors with targeted access to the fallen angel segment of the U.S. high-yield bond market. By tracking an index of downgraded former investment grade bonds, the fund seeks to capture potential value from credit rating transitions and market inefficiencies. Continue reading
witsarut sakorn/iStock via Getty Images Co-authored with Hidden Opportunities A Structural Tailwind Too Big to Ignore Some of the most important data points that help us gauge the health of the economy are inflation prints, job reports, and consumer spending. Increasingly, all three are pointing in the same direction and toward the same critical sector. The United States is the largest consumer ma...
witsarut sakorn/iStock via Getty Images Co-authored with Hidden Opportunities A Structural Tailwind Too Big to Ignore Some of the most important data points that help us gauge the health of the economy are inflation prints, job reports, and consumer spending. Increasingly, all three are pointing in the same direction and toward the same critical sector. The United States is the largest consumer market in the world, but in 2025, healthcare was the largest contributor to consumer spending , possibly indicating an inflection point in the silver tsunami thesis. The U.S. is also the largest economy in the world, and the nation also has the highest healthcare spending globally, consistently at 17–18% of its GDP. The labor market also points to healthcare as a driver of the U.S. economy. With the weight of the tariffs, higher inflationary pressures, and AI disruption fears, we are seeing slowness in hiring across many industries. Still, healthcare continues to add jobs at a steady pace. In March 2026, the health care sector added 76,000 jobs , representing the anchor for U.S. employment growth and serving as a source of stability. Healthcare has maintained a lead over baseline inflation for more than two decades, and there are compelling reasons that this trend will continue. The most powerful driver of all is demographics. By 2030, Americans over the age of 65 are expected to outnumber those under 18 for the first time in history. Healthcare is the largest, fastest-growing, and most unpredictable expense for older people, creating a demand tailwind that is predictable and persistent. If we put these together, these trends highlight a sector that is less tied to economic swings and more driven by structural forces. Healthcare is helping define the future of the U.S. economy, and legislation cannot stop this. Not an Income-Focused Sector The healthcare sector is not one that is generous with dividends. In fact, healthcare is not going to be in the top ten sectors that are k...
It has not been easy to own United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) over the past couple of years. The stock is still down more than 50% from its 2022 high. However, if management is correct, the troubling financial results that caused this decline could soon come to an end. Here's why smart investors are digging into UPS' turnaround right now. After the pandemic period at the turn of the decade, UPS de...
It has not been easy to own United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) over the past couple of years. The stock is still down more than 50% from its 2022 high. However, if management is correct, the troubling financial results that caused this decline could soon come to an end. Here's why smart investors are digging into UPS' turnaround right now. After the pandemic period at the turn of the decade, UPS decided it needed to reset its business. That included cutting costs and shifting toward its most profitable customers. Streamlining the business meant investing in new equipment, selling older assets, and reducing staff. All of these ended up increasing costs. Meanwhile, shifting toward more profitable customers meant cutting ties with less profitable customers, even including Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) . That pushed the top line down even as costs rose. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
davidf/iStock via Getty Images A major rare earth project in South Africa backed by U.S. funding is moving ahead as Washington seeks to reduce dependence on China for minerals vital to defense systems, electric vehicles and advanced technology, the Associated Press reported Sunday. The Phalaborwa Rare Earths Project has received support through a $50 million equity commitment from the U.S. Interna...
davidf/iStock via Getty Images A major rare earth project in South Africa backed by U.S. funding is moving ahead as Washington seeks to reduce dependence on China for minerals vital to defense systems, electric vehicles and advanced technology, the Associated Press reported Sunday. The Phalaborwa Rare Earths Project has received support through a $50 million equity commitment from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation. The effort centers on extracting rare earth elements from massive waste dunes left behind by decades of phosphate mining and chemical processing. Developer Rainbow Rare Earths plans to begin production in 2028, with construction of a processing facility expected in 2027. The site is projected to operate for 16 years. Chief Executive George Bennett said much of the output is expected to go to the United States, where demand is tied in part to military applications. The project aims to supply minerals including neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium, which are used in high-performance magnets for wind turbines, EVs, robotics and weapons systems. Rainbow says using pre-processed mining waste could lower costs compared with conventional rare earth mining, while relying heavily on renewable energy. Analysts say the project may help diversify supply chains outside China, though its full commercial potential remains uncertain. The investment also highlights continued U.S. interest in Africa’s mining sector despite political tensions with South Africa, as Washington competes with Beijing for access to strategic resources across the continent. More on VanEck Rare Earth and Strategic Metals ETF REMX: The Geopolitics Of A US REE Stockpile Depletion REMX: Don't Overestimate The Size Of The Rare Earths Market And Strength Of Geopolitical Tailwinds Why I'm Increasing My Exposure To Critical Minerals Now Chinese rare earth producers hike prices by 44% for Q2 U.S., Australia back rare earths refinery with up to $600M in potential funding
Mat Ishbia, President and CEO of UWM Holdings Corporation (NYSE:UWMC) , reported the indirect open-market sale of 2,001,148 shares of Class A Common Stock via SFS Corp on April 14 and April 15, 2026, as disclosed in the SEC Form 4 filing . Transaction value based on SEC Form 4 weighted average purchase price ($3.75); post-transaction value based on April 15, 2026, market close ($3.75). * 1-year pr...
Mat Ishbia, President and CEO of UWM Holdings Corporation (NYSE:UWMC) , reported the indirect open-market sale of 2,001,148 shares of Class A Common Stock via SFS Corp on April 14 and April 15, 2026, as disclosed in the SEC Form 4 filing . Transaction value based on SEC Form 4 weighted average purchase price ($3.75); post-transaction value based on April 15, 2026, market close ($3.75). * 1-year price change calculated using April 17th, 2026 as the reference date. Continue reading
Bloomberg Personal Finance Reporter Suzanne Woolley discusses the challenges of retiring comfortably in the face of increasing living expenses. She emphasizes to Bloomberg This Weekend hosts David Gura and Christina Ruffini that there is no universal dollar amount for retirement savings, as the required sum depends heavily on individual lifestyle choices and location. (Source: Bloomberg)
Bloomberg Personal Finance Reporter Suzanne Woolley discusses the challenges of retiring comfortably in the face of increasing living expenses. She emphasizes to Bloomberg This Weekend hosts David Gura and Christina Ruffini that there is no universal dollar amount for retirement savings, as the required sum depends heavily on individual lifestyle choices and location. (Source: Bloomberg)
George Rose | Getty Images News | Getty Images Small businesses and consumers, especially in rural parts of the country, could face higher shipping costs and less reliable delivery service as the result of a recent deal between Amazon and the U.S. Postal Service which would have Amazon sending fewer of its packages through the USPS. The changes in a recently proposed agreement , which still requir...
George Rose | Getty Images News | Getty Images Small businesses and consumers, especially in rural parts of the country, could face higher shipping costs and less reliable delivery service as the result of a recent deal between Amazon and the U.S. Postal Service which would have Amazon sending fewer of its packages through the USPS. The changes in a recently proposed agreement , which still requires approval from the Postal Regulatory Commission, would see Amazon cut roughly 20% of the packages it ships through the service — about 200 million shipments a year — as it shifts more deliveries into its own network. That shift would leave USPS spreading the cost of its nationwide delivery network across fewer packages, putting pressure on both pricing and service. "When a large shipper like Amazon moves volume away, it requires either increasing rates for other customers or cutting back on service levels to reduce costs," said Satish Jindel, president of ShipMatrix, a shipping consultancy and analytics provider. Those impacts would likely show up first in places that are already more expensive to serve, he said. The underlying economics of delivery make a divide in delivery service based on location unavoidable and likely to become more visible, said Manish Kapoor, the founder and CEO of Growth Catalyst Group, a company that specializes in supply chain consulting and fulfillment and delivery. Kapoor, who previously led Amazon's last-mile, Amazon Fresh, and Sunday delivery efforts, and founded FedEx SameDay City, said the two factors that drive last-mile economics are volume and density. "Twenty percent of Americans live in rural areas. Amazon could deliver there, but the volume and density go down. As such, the frequency would decrease and cost would increase," he said. Amazon has undertaken several efforts to increase deliveries to small towns, announcing last year it would spend $4 billion on the effort. Shipping experts say rural delivery costs more because drivers ma...