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Itaú Unibanco Holding SA

  • Is the Brazilian Banking Industry Growing?

    By Victor Selva - May 22, 2013 | Tickers: BBD, BDORY, ITUB

    Lending in Brazil has more than doubled over the last decade amid strong economic growth. Although the pace of growth has slowed over the past two years, bank executives expect lending to grow a solid 15% this year.

    The Brazilian banking industry is highly concentrated in the hands of strong local players, including the two main private-sector banks, Itau Unibanco (NYSE: ITUB) and Banco Bradesco (NYSE: BBD), and two state-owned more »

  • Investing in Brazilian Happiness

    By Andrés Cardenal - May 13, 2013 | Tickers: ABV, VALE, EWZ, ITUB, PBR

    Economic growth in Brazil has stalled lately, yet Brazilians are as happy and optimistic about their future as ever. Although this may seem like an odd phenomenon, there is much more to economic development than GDP growth, and the country is on the right track regarding poverty reduction and rising income levels.

    Brazilians have good reasons to feel confident in the future, and so do investors in the country.

    Beyond more »

  • Time to Consider Investing in Brazil´s Banks

    By Matt Smith - May 3, 2013 | Tickers: BBD, BSBR, ITUB

    Brazil´s economy came crashing to Earth with a resounding thud in 2011 and 2012, with annual GDP growth plummeting from 7.5% in 2010 to 2.7% in 2011 and 0.9% in 2012. This can in part be attributed to Brazil being an export driven economy which is reliant upon global demand for both its commodities and manufactured products. Demand for these exports in two of Brazil´s more »

  • This Brazilian Giant Is Undervalued

    By Andrés Cardenal - April 29, 2013 | Tickers: ITUB, PBR

    Investing in emerging markets can be risky, but these countries also offer some truly amazing long term buying opportunities for entrepreneurial investors with an adventurous spirit and the will to move beyond national borders when it comes to looking for the best investment alternatives.

    Itau Unibanco (NYSE: ITUB) is remarkably well positioned for capitalize favorable secular tailwinds, and the company is trading at attractive valuations due to a transitory slowdown more »

  • Banks: Three Regions, Three Different Risks

    By Damian Illia - April 5, 2013 | Tickers: SAN, C, ITUB

    I will analyze three banks from three different regions. The three banking institutions I will review are: Santander (NYSE: SAN) from Spain, Citigroup (NYSE: C) from the US and Itau Unibanco (NYSE: ITUB) from Brazil.

    Nowadays, banks have risk exposure to multiple countries and industry sectors. However, most banks still depend on the performance of the domestic economy in which they are more exposed. Let’s see the prospects of more »

  • Banks: Three Regions, Three Different Risks

    By Damian Illia - April 1, 2013 | Tickers: SAN, C, ITUB

    I will analyze three banks from three different regions. The three banking institutions I will review are: Santander (NYSE: SAN) from Spain, Citigroup (NYSE: C) from the US and Itau Unibanco (NYSE: ITUB) from Brazil.

    Nowadays, banks have risk exposure to multiple countries and industry sectors. However, most banks still depend on the performance of the domestic economy in which they are more exposed. Let’s see the prospects of more »

  • Bargain Hunting in Brazil

    By Ryan Peckyno - February 12, 2013 | Tickers: CIG, VALE, ITUB, PBR

    A few years ago Brazil – a member of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) – was the hottest emerging market on the planet.  Brazil’s stock market returned a remarkable 350% from 2004 to 2008.  By contrast, the S&P returned a solid 40% over that same time period. 

    Then Brazil made a series of policy blunders, such as raising interest rates and interfering with capital markets, that soured investors more »

  • The Sun Will Rise Again For Brazil

    By Andrés Cardenal - January 14, 2013 | Tickers: ABV, VALE, ITUB, PBR

    Brazil has disenchanted investors over the last couple of years: economic growth has slowed down considerably, structural problems are becoming more evident, and Brazilian stocks have underperformed other markets in recent years. But the long term fundamentals are still intact and the Brazilian economy could be about to turn around in the following months, so maybe it’s a good time to go shopping for opportunities among Brazilian stocks.

    Blame more »

  • Why I’m Investing in Brazil Over the Long Term

    By Ash Anderson - December 17, 2012 | Tickers: BRXX, VALE, EWZ, ITUB, PBR

    There are a lot of great companies in the United States. To ensure that my portfolio is truly diversified, though, I like to invest outside of our borders, and the country I’ll be targeting next is Brazil, for a variety of reasons that I’ll explore in this article. There are a number of ways one could get into the Brazilian market, such as investing in the country's more »

  • Buy or Sell? Brazilian Banks

    By Federico Zaldua - December 5, 2012 | Tickers: BBD, BSBR, EWZ, ITUB

    As I have mentioned many times, the Brazilian economy is about to rebound (from a 1.5% GDP growth in 2012 to around 4% in 2013), and its equities have strongly underperformed the S&P 500. As many of you may already know, banks are almost always my favorite investments to play a GDP rebound. Hence, it makes sense to look at Brazilian banks.

    That said, the Brazilian banking sector more »

  • Hunting for Value in Brazil

    By Andrés Cardenal - November 21, 2012 | Tickers: VALE, EWZ, ITUB, BRF, PBR

    Brazil is one of the most exciting economic growth stories in the last decade. The country has an expanding middle class, abundant natural resources and solid political institutions. In the last year however, the economy has decelerated notoriously, and Brazilian stocks have delivered disappointing returns. Now that valuations are cheap, and the economy may be about to rebound in 2013, it seems like the right time to consider a position more »

  • Are Brazilian Banks Approaching a Credit Boom?

    By Calla Hummel - October 22, 2012 | Tickers: BBD, BSBR, ITUB

    Brazilian banks have been left out of the international bank rally over the past few months. The reason? Brazilian bureaucrats united over aggressive interest rate cuts, which have taken away Brazilian banks’ biggest cash cow -- exorbitant consumer interest rates -- just as default rates started rising.  But new documents from the government reveal that a new credit expansion based on quality instead of quantity could be just around the corner. Should more »

  • Buying Opportunity in Brazilian Stocks

    By Andrés Cardenal - July 17, 2012 | Tickers: ABV, EWZ, ITUB, BRF, PBR

    The Brazilian economy is showing a considerable slowdown, and even a full-blown recession is not out of question for the months ahead. Brazil is, however, a very strong country with enviable long-term prospects and one of the most attractive growth stories around the world. With valuations becoming increasingly attractive, investors may want to consider the possibility of capitalizing on the current weakness as a long-term buying opportunity.

    A GDP proxy more »

  • Will Government Intervention Rescue Brazilian Growth?

    By Calla Hummel - June 5, 2012 | Tickers: BBD, ABV, VALE, ITUB, PBR | Editor's Choice

    The Brazilian government has intervened aggressively in the economy this year, slashing the benchmark interest rate from 12.5% to 9% in six months, the most of any government. The administration of President Dilma Rousseff aims to restart growth, which slowed from 7.5% in 2010 to 2.7% in 2011. As a result, Brazilian interest rates are nearing historic lows and expected to drop further, but what effects is more »

  • Plunging Brazilian Interest Rates and Your Portfolio

    By Calla Hummel - May 30, 2012 | Tickers: BBD, BSBR, SAN, EWZ, ITUB

    The top three Brazilian banks – Banco Santander Brasil (NYSE: BSBR), Banco Itau Unibanco (NYSE: ITUB) and Banco Bradesco (NYSE: BBD) have fallen between 20% and 30% since March. Of course, everyone is skittish about foreign banks and slowing global growth right now. However, the Brazilian banks’ fall comes after a much more concrete threat to profits: a slashed benchmark rate. 

    Brazilian banks have reaped huge profits over the last decade more »

  • One Number in Support of Brazilian Stocks

    By Calla Hummel - May 29, 2012 | Tickers: BBD, VALE, EWZ, ITUB, PBR

    (Note: The original version of this post incorrectly stated that Brazil's population totaled 280 million people. According to the World Bank, the correct figure is 195 million. This post has been changed to reflect this.)

    After weeks of losses for Brazil's main stock index, the Brazilian statistics bureau, IBGE, reported good news on May 24th: unemployment across Brazil fell from 6.2% in March to 6% in April more »

  • The Case for Brazilian Bank Stocks

    By Andrés Cardenal - March 28, 2012 | Tickers: BBD, BSBR, SAN, ITUB | Editor's Choice

    Emerging markets provide many growth opportunities that are not usually found in most developed ones -- banking in particular is a business that can benefit strongly from long-term secular trends that should keep fueling growth for many years, in the case of Brazilian banks. High economic growth, a rising middle class, and lots of room for financial and real estate business expansion are some of the aspects to keep in mind more »