Brazil’s BOVESPA Shows Impressive Relative Strength

We know what the US market is doing, shrugging off every single negative news and floating higher almost effortlessly. But what about the emerging markets?

One of the strongest emerging markets before the recent bear market was Brazil and it has come roaring back with a vengeance. If you think the recent gains, whether a bear market or the real thing, are impressive, then consider Brazil’s gains.

Similar to almost all world markets, the Bovespa started the last bull market in late 2002 and went almost non-stop until late May 2008. As a sign of the impressive relative strength, it shrugged off any signs of a top in October 2007 and went sideways as other markets around the world weakened and fell. Then in early May it surged to new highs, to then reverse and form a top.

Using simple Weinstein stage analysis, it was easy to see the trouble signs. But even after such a strong showing the index still fell 60%. It reached its low in October and in the following months, every single low was higher than the previous one.

While the US market struggled, falling lower still in March, Brazil was already trading 19% higher than its October 2008 low. As of today, it has made an astonishing 70% gain from the extreme low of last year.

I don’t know enough about the fundamentals to make a case but I imagine it would refer to the fact that the Brazilian banks were, for the most part, left unscathed by the financial mess that enveloped US and European banks. And also the turbo boost provided by Brazil’s commodity wealth can’t be ignored. They produce everything from soybeans to precious metals.

But all that can be encapsulated in the relative strength of BOVESPA to the S&P 500 index. It has already surpassed the previous high it set in 2008.

There are a few ETFs for the country:

• iSHARES Brazil ETF (EWZ)


• WisdomTree Dreyfus Brazilian Real Fund (BZF)

As well, there are many ADR’s like:

• Petrobras (PBR)


• Itau (ITU)


• Banco Bradesco (BBD)


• Brasil Telecom (BRP)


• Brasil Telecom (BTM)

While continued heady gains are improbable in the short term, a pull back would bring prices back to the 150 day moving average (in red) which is slowly flattening out. This would then provide a platform from which it can realistically challenge the previous highs.

Limited Time Access to EWI

There has been such a crushing demand for the FREE 120 page report from Elliott Wave International that they’ve extended the offer for a few extra days. It is a mini-book covering the US, European and Asian markets as well as interest rates, commodities, currencies and much more. This is the most recent edition of their comprehensive Global Market Perspective and is exactly what their regular paying clients receive (except they pay $199 and you’re getting it free). But it is only available free for just a few more days. There’s no obligation to purchase anything and you only need your email. I’ll go over it shortly on the blog so download your copy now.