João Braga and Cristian Keleti argue the Brazilian equity market presents one of its most asymmetric opportunities in years, with valuations cheaper than during COVID, extreme under-allocation by local investors, and specific stocks like Smartfit and Track&Field offering cheap growth and high dividends. They highlight the massive cash pile in fixed income and a shrinking free float, suggesting even a small rotation could drive a strong rally.
- Brazilian stocks trade at 5-6x earnings, cheaper than 2009, 2016, and 2020 lows.
- Pension funds, individuals, and private banks have historic low equity allocations.
- M4 money supply grew by 5 trillion reais, mostly parked in fixed income; a 3% rotation could lift the market 20%.
- Ibovespa is concentrated among 8 companies; many attractive opportunities lie outside the index.
- Smartfit is a high-conviction holding with zero index weight, held at 12% by Braga.
- Track&Field combines 25% ROIC, store expansion, and double-digit dividend yields.
- Companies are largely debt-free with low valuations, though governance remains a concern.