Finance News · Monday, 26 October 2026
Brazilian shares and the real face a steep fall after Lula's comeback win, as a New York fund of Brazilian shares drops nearly 20% overnight
Investors had bet on Flavio Bolsonaro after he led the first round; Lula won Brazil's runoff with 51.79%, and a fund of Brazilian shares fell nearly 20% before Sao Paulo opened.
Nearly 20%
fall in a New York fund of Brazilian shares in overnight trading after the result
it later trimmed the loss to 18%
7% and 5%
how much Brazilian shares and the real had risen since the first round
gains built on bets that Bolsonaro would win
82.9%
of a year's economic output owed as Brazil's government debt in August
the highest since March 2021
13.75%
Brazil's central bank interest rate
inflation is 4.6%, above the 1.5% to 4.5% range the bank accepts
The lead story — what happened
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Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won a fourth term as Brazil's president on Sunday, with 51.79% of the vote to 48.21% for Flavio Bolsonaro, a right-wing senator.
[2] -
It is the first time since direct elections returned in 1989 that a candidate has won the runoff after losing the first round.
[1] -
Bolsonaro refused to concede and said he will ask for the result to be cancelled, because a Supreme Court judge who was once Lula's lawyer extended voting by two hours.
[2] [4] -
Investors had bet on a Bolsonaro win since he led the first round three weeks ago. By Friday Brazilian shares were almost 7% higher and the real, Brazil's currency, nearly 5% stronger.
[2] -
They expected him to cut government spending, which would let interest rates fall.
[1] [2] -
Overnight, the iShares MSCI Brazil ETF, a fund of Brazilian shares that trades in New York, fell nearly 20% before trimming the loss to 18%.
[1] [5] -
Brazil's own share market had not yet opened. Luis Felipe Vital of Warren Investimentos, a Brazilian investment firm, expects a sharp sell-off and interest-rate bets to hit their daily limit soon after the open.
[2] -
Brazil's government debt reached 82.9% of a year's economic output in August, the highest since March 2021, by the central bank's count.
[1] -
Under 8% of the federal budget can be changed, because most spending is fixed by law, and Lula has promised faster rises in the minimum wage, which also lifts pensions.
[3] -
Brazil's central bank rate is 13.75%, and nearly 84 million Brazilians are behind on debt payments, says Serasa, a credit agency.
[3] -
Unemployment is at a record low and wages are rising faster than prices.
[3] -
Bolsonaro's Liberal Party and its allies are set to control both houses of Congress, and lawmakers there have repeatedly blocked measures that raise taxes.
[3]
Who is involved
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Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
Brazil's left-wing president, aged 80; re-elected for a term that starts on 5 January 2027
[2] [1] -
Flavio Bolsonaro
a right-wing senator and son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro; lost and asks for the vote to be cancelled
[2] -
Cristiano Zanin
a Supreme Court judge, once Lula's lawyer; ordered polls to stay open two more hours
[2] -
Investors in Brazil
funds and traders who bought shares and the real after the first round; now expected to sell
[2] -
Brazil's Congress
the parliament, where Bolsonaro's party and allies will hold both houses
[3]
How it unfolded
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Three weeks ago Bolsonaro leads the first round by more than 2.2 million votes
[4] -
Fri 23 Oct Shares close almost 7% above their level before the first round
[2] -
Sun 25 Oct Lula wins 51.79%, and Bolsonaro refuses to concede
[2] -
Sun night A New York fund of Brazilian shares falls nearly 20%
[1] -
5 Jan 2027 Lula's fourth term begins
[2]
Where this points
The first test is Monday's open in Sao Paulo, where Warren Investimentos expects interest-rate bets to hit their daily limit; UBS expects the mood to stay weak until Lula sets out a plan for the debt.
Signals on this beat
The bar and the word are our reading of how hard each one is pushing, and the arrow is where it is heading.
A New York fund of Brazilian shares fell nearly 20% after Lula's win.
Brent oil fell 1.89% to $114.51 a barrel on Monday, after Friday's highest level since April.
SpaceX closed $40 billion of borrowing to buy AI chips.
HSBC, a big British bank, has set aside about $400 million for possible Gulf loan losses.
The rest of the day
15 more stories on this beat.
Each with its own sources. None of these is a link to the story above.
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02
Oil slips 2% from Friday's high
Brent, the main world price for oil, fell 1.89% to $114.51 a barrel on Monday, and US crude fell 2.19% to $101.
[7] Friday's jump had followed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia; the Houthis are an armed group in Yemen backed by Iran.[7] Over the weekend they said they targeted Riyadh's airport and oil sites, and Saudi Arabia said it shot down more missiles and drones.[7] Michael Alfaro of Gallo Partners, an investment firm, thinks fear of war adds about $20 to each barrel.[7] Why it matters — He warns that a hit on Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline could send prices sharply higher, but above $120 to $140 many buyers would use less.
[7] On Friday the US government also authorised the release of up to 400,000 barrels from its emergency store for a Louisiana refinery.[7] -
03
Chip shares fall across Asia
Shares of chip makers fell across Asia on Monday.
[6] Japan's Nikkei index dropped 0.4%, as Tokyo Electron and Renesas, two Japanese chip firms, each lost more than 3%.[6] South Korea's Kospi fell 1%, and Hua Hong, a Chinese chip maker listed in Hong Kong, dropped more than 5%.[6] The falls followed a sell-off in US technology shares on Friday, on doubts that the huge spending on AI will earn its money back.[6] Why it matters — Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon report results this week, and so do about 550 of the roughly 1,200 companies in the MSCI Asia-Pacific index, a list of the region's big firms.
[6] Their numbers will show whether data-centre spending is turning into profit.[6] -
04
Indian shares and the rupee slip
India's Sensex share index fell more than 600 points, nearly 1%, to 72,514.57 on Monday morning, and the rupee slipped to 94.96 to the US dollar.
[8] AU Small Finance Bank fell more than 6%, even after a 53% rise in profit, and Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, which posted its highest ever quarterly profit of 365 crore rupees, fell too.[9] Infosys, one of India's biggest software firms, fell nearly 4% after cutting its sales forecast for the year.[10] Why it matters — Madhu Lunawat of The Wealth Company, an Indian fund firm, told Mint that foreign investors stay cautious partly because the rupee lost 4-5% in a year.
[26] Traders also wait for the US central bank's decision on Wednesday.[8] -
05
SpaceX closes $40 billion of chip debt
Elon Musk said on Sunday that SpaceX has closed $40 billion of borrowing to buy graphics chips, the chips AI runs on.
[11] The chips are due in the first half of 2027.[11] Bloomberg had reported the debt would sit in a separate company to keep it off SpaceX's own books.[11] Musk said lenders will hardly fund firms that earn almost all their money from AI data centres, and that most of the 200 or so 'neoclouds' will fail or merge.[12] CoreWeave37%Nebius30%How far two firms that rent out AI computing have fallen in a month. Why it matters — SpaceX can borrow because Starlink internet and rocket launches bring in money outside AI, Musk said.
[12] Shares of CoreWeave and Nebius, two neocloud firms that rent out AI computing, are down about 37% and 30% in a month.[12] -
06
Israel's markets wait for Tuesday's vote
Israel votes on Tuesday after three years of war in which its markets rose hard.
[16] Tel Aviv shares are up 130% since October 2023, against 80% on Wall Street, and the shekel, Israel's currency, is up 25%.[16] Polls show neither Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor the opposition led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot reaching the 61 seats needed to govern.[16] Bill Ackman, a US fund manager who with his wife owns 5% of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, said two far-right ministers should not serve in the next government.[17] Why it matters — JPMorgan says the shekel could swing as much as 3% on the result, and IBI, an Israeli investment house, expects an opposition win to lift both the shekel and shares.
[16] Foreign investors are still wary: the share of global funds holding Israeli shares is at a record low, Copley Fund Research data show.[16] -
07
HSBC says Gulf loans are holding up
HSBC, Europe's second-biggest bank, has set aside about $400 million for possible loan losses in the Middle East in the first half of the year.
[20] Its chief executive, Georges Elhedery, told The National the direct damage from the war to its business is very small.[20] The IMF, which lends to governments in trouble, expects Gulf economies to shrink 4.8% this year and grow 9.1% in 2027.[20] HSBC counts more than $190 billion of planned projects needing loans in the United Arab Emirates alone.[20] Why it matters — He spoke before HSBC's quarterly results, and he sees lending for Gulf building projects as its next source of growth.
[20] He also said the Strait of Hormuz may matter less within five years as Gulf states build ways around it.[20] -
08
Sabic returns to profit
Sabic, the Middle East's biggest chemicals maker, earned 500 million riyals, about $133 million, from July to September.
[18] It had lost 833 million riyals in the quarter before, because of the regional war, The National reported.[18] Revenue rose 14% from the quarter before to 28.17 billion riyals, though it was about 3% below a year earlier.[18] Saudi Aramco, the state oil company, owns 70% of Sabic, and a Houthi missile damaged Aramco's headquarters this month.[18] Why it matters — Over nine months Sabic still lost 320 million riyals, far less than the 4.84 billion it lost a year before.
[18] It also sold a plastics business in the Americas and Europe for $450 million.[18] -
09
Adnoc lines up 2027 oil and gas work
Adnoc, the United Arab Emirates' state oil company, told suppliers on Sunday what it will put out to bid in 2027.
[19] The list includes offshore gas fields, an export gas pipeline and a project to get more oil out of fields already pumping.[19] It wants to be able to pump 5 million barrels a day by 2027, up from 4.85 million.[19] It also offered UAE makers more than 60 billion dirhams, about $16.3 billion, of orders for parts and goods through 2030.[19] Why it matters — The UAE is widening its pipeline to Fujairah, a port beyond the Strait of Hormuz, so less oil has to pass through the strait.
[19] Making parts at home cuts Adnoc's need for imports during the war.[19] -
10
Traders and economists split on UK rates
Traders' prices imply that the Bank of England, Britain's central bank, will raise its rate from 3.75% to 4.75% by the end of July.
[21] Economists at ING and Deutsche Bank say that is too far, because dearer energy is not yet pushing up other prices quickly.[21] Sanjay Raja of Deutsche Bank says much of the pricing is extra pay traders want for uncertainty, and only about half a point of rises is really expected.[21] Deutsche expects 4.25% by February.[21] - 1Bank of England now3.75%
- 2Deutsche Bank, by February4.25%
- 3Traders' prices, by July4.75%
Where the Bank of England's rate is, and two views of where it goes next. Why it matters — The bets have risen and fallen with oil since the Iran war began.
[21] Betting against them loses money while oil climbs, so few traders will, says James Smith of ING.[21] -
11
SoftBank plans $50 billion in Malaysia
SoftBank, the Japanese tech investor, plans $50 billion of investments in Malaysia, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Saturday.
[13] He said SoftBank's founder, Masayoshi Son, had picked sites in Kuching, in Sarawak on Borneo, and on the peninsula, for AI and data centres.[13] Earlier this month SoftBank signed a deal with Grab and Petroleum Sarawak to explore AI projects there.[13] Malaysia counted 385.7 billion ringgit, about $94 billion, of data-centre investment from 2021 to mid-2026.[13] Why it matters — The figure dwarfs Google's $2 billion, Amazon's $6.2 billion and Microsoft's $2.2 billion plans in Malaysia.
[13] SoftBank did not immediately reply to CNBC, so for now the figure comes from the prime minister.[13] -
12
A second bidder for Ingenia
Ingenia Communities, an Australian owner of retirement villages and holiday parks, got a new takeover offer on Monday.
[14] AVID Property Group offered A$5.35 a share in cash, about A$2.2 billion in all.[14] Ingenia gave AVID six weeks of talks on its own and shut out Warburg Pincus, a US private equity firm whose latest offer was A$5.25.[14] Ingenia's shares rose 5.5% to A$5.02 in morning trade.[14] A$5.25Warburg PincusA$5.35AVIDEach bidder's latest offer for one Ingenia share. AVID's is 10 Australian cents higher. Why it matters — The board has not yet said AVID's offer beats its own plan to buy Peet, a land developer.
[14] AVID wants to split off the holiday parks and hand them to Tasman Holiday Parks.[14] -
13
JetBlue's lenders hire debt advisers
A group of JetBlue's senior lenders is working with PJT Partners, a firm that advises on reworking debts, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
[15] JetBlue is a US airline whose shares are down 42% this year, closing at $2.62 on Friday.[15] At the end of June it had $1.66 billion of cash and $8.5 billion of debt and lease payments due.[15] Jet fuel costs have jumped with the Iran war.[15] Why it matters — JetBlue is in the middle of an overhaul to cut costs and sell more premium seats.
[15] It says it is confident the plan will return it to steady profit.[15] -
14
Bought-back bust firms fail again
Bust UK firms bought back by people tied to their old owners fail again far more often, a study for the Guardian found.
[22] Turnstone Intelligence read papers on more than 1,700 administrations, a kind of insolvency, from 2019.[22] In a 'pre-pack', the sale is agreed before the firm goes under.[22] When the buyer was connected, 44% failed again by July 2026, against 26% with an outsider.[22] Where connected buyers paid in instalments, lenders without security, often including the UK tax office, got 1.58p in the pound.[22] Bought back by connected buyer44%Bought by outsider26%Share of pre-pack sales from 2019 that went bust again by July 2026. Why it matters — In one case, Andrew Woosnam bought back his failed recruitment firm for GBP 10,000 down and promised GBP 600,000 more that never came.
[23] His bust companies now owe more than GBP 3 million, over GBP 1 million of it to the UK tax office.[23] -
15
Gulf firms own more of Manchester
Companies linked to the United Arab Emirates own about 39% more land in Greater Manchester than in 2016, a Guardian analysis found.
[24] Their land titles rose from 51 to 168, covering 101 hectares.[24] Two-thirds of that land belongs to companies of Sheikh Mansour, who owns Manchester City football club.[24] The count follows the club being found guilty of breaking football's money rules for nine years.[24] Why it matters — Foreign investment in Greater Manchester rose 25% from 2015 to 2024, and the area drew almost GBP 2 billion from abroad in 2024.
[24] Jonathan Silver, a University of Sheffield researcher, says leaning on Gulf money leaves the city exposed.[24] -
16
A top deals law firm loses its next leader
Ramona Nee, chosen to lead Weil, Gotshal & Manges from January, has held talks to join Simpson Thacher, a rival, Semafor reported.
[25] Weil is one of the main US law firms for company takeovers and debt rescues.[25] Its star dealmaker Michael Aiello already left for Cravath with a team, and merger talks with Willkie Farr broke down.[25] Weil declined to comment, and Nee's talks could still fail.[25] Why it matters — Lawyers at the firm blame its leaders for failing to show how it will compete as AI and huge pay offers change top legal work.
[25] Nee advises big private equity firms such as Advent, and a large part of Weil's Boston office could follow her.[25]
Why a country's shares and its money fall together
A foreign fund that buys a country's shares must first buy its money, so when it sells to leave, both prices drop at once.
The twist
A foreign fund leaving Brazil has to sell twice: once to get out of the shares and once to turn the reais back into dollars. So the shares and the real fall together.
The picture
How it works
- A foreign fund swaps dollars for reais to buy Brazilian shares
- Counted in dollars, it earns the share's move plus the real's move
- Bad news can hit both prices, so its loss in dollars is bigger
- To leave, it sells the shares, then sells the reais for dollars
- Both sales push down at once, so shares and the currency fall together
The same force, elsewhere today
Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.
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Brazil after Lula's win
After the first round, shares rose 7% and the real 5% on one bet. The New York fund that fell nearly 20% counts in dollars, so it carries both halves of that bet.
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Israel's markets before Tuesday's vote
Some investors expect an opposition win to lift the shekel and Tel Aviv shares together, and JPMorgan puts the currency's swing at up to 3%.
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Indian shares and the rupee slip
The Sensex fell and the rupee slipped on the same morning. A fund manager says the rupee's 4-5% fall in a year is one reason foreign funds hold back.
Where you've seen this
Buying a flat abroad
a foreign buyer's flat can lose value in its price and again when the local currency falls
Workers sending money home
what reaches the family depends on the wage and on the exchange rate, so both can cut it
A company selling overseas
its foreign sales shrink in its own money when the foreign currency weakens, even if it sells as much
The catch
It does not always hold. A weaker currency helps companies that sell abroad, because each dollar they earn turns into more local money, so their shares can rise while the currency falls.
And the whole of it
A fund selling in New York never meets a family in Sao Paulo paying 13.75% on a loan. Its sale still reaches that family, because a weaker real and dearer borrowing are what the family pays next.
What is really going on
After Flavio Bolsonaro led Brazil's first round, investors bought Brazilian shares and the real, betting he would win and cut government spending. Lula won on Sunday, so those bets are being sold, and a New York fund of Brazilian shares fell nearly 20% before Sao Paulo even opened.
Why it works on us — One fund's overnight fall is easy to read as Brazil's whole verdict, though Brazil's own market had not traded yet.
Who gains
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SpaceX
— It closed $40 billion of borrowing because Starlink and launches earn money outside AI, while lenders turn away firms that live only on AI computing.
[11] [12] -
Ingenia's shareholders
— A second bidder, AVID, offered A$5.35 a share, above Warburg Pincus's latest A$5.25, and the shares rose 5.5%.
[14] -
Former owners who buy back their bust firms
— In pre-packs they often pay in instalments, and 65% of connected buyers were allowed to do so, against 28% of outsiders.
[22] -
HSBC and other lenders in the Gulf
— HSBC counts more than $190 billion of planned UAE projects that need loans, and its chief sees that lending as its next growth.
[20] -
Factories in the UAE
— Adnoc offered local makers more than 60 billion dirhams of orders through 2030 to cut its reliance on imports.
[19]
Who pays
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Investors who bet on a Bolsonaro win
— Shares had risen 7% and the real 5% on that bet, and a New York fund of Brazilian shares fell nearly 20% overnight.
[1] [2] -
Brazilian borrowers
— Nearly 84 million people are already behind on debts at a 13.75% central bank rate, and rate bets that had priced cheaper borrowing are expected to jump.
[3] [2] -
Creditors of firms bought back by their owners
— Where connected buyers paid in instalments, lenders without security got 1.58p in the pound, and the UK tax office is often among them.
[22] -
Shareholders in firms that rent out AI computing
— CoreWeave's shares fell about 37% in a month and Nebius's about 30%, as lenders grow wary.
[12] -
JetBlue's shareholders
— The shares are down 42% this year as jet fuel costs rose, and the airline's senior lenders have hired debt advisers.
[15]
What nobody knows yet
Open questions from across today’s stories — ours included.
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01
How far Brazilian shares, the real and interest-rate bets fall once Sao Paulo opens.
Only a New York fund had traded when this was written; Warren Investimentos expects rate bets to hit their daily limit soon after the open.
[1] [2] -
02
Whether Lula will set out a plan to slow Brazil's debt.
His team has pledged to keep the budget rules, but he has also promised faster minimum-wage rises, and UBS expects the mood to stay weak until a plan appears.
[3] [2] -
03
Whether Bolsonaro's request to cancel the result goes anywhere.
The head of the electoral court has already recognised Lula's win, and a law professor at Fluminense Federal University says there is little legal basis for it.
[2] [4] -
04
Which way Israel's vote moves the shekel.
Polls show neither bloc reaching the 61 seats needed to govern, and JPMorgan puts the possible swing at 3% either way.
[16] -
05
Whether Saudi oil sites are hit again.
Michael Alfaro of Gallo Partners estimates fear of war adds about $20 a barrel, and nobody can know in advance whether Saudi pipelines or refineries are hit next.
[7] -
06
How many firms that rent out AI computing can still borrow.
Musk says most of about 200 will fail or merge, but that is his forecast, and Nvidia's chief says demand is 'off the charts'.
[12] -
07
Whether SoftBank's $50 billion for Malaysia is firm.
The figure comes from Malaysia's prime minister, and SoftBank did not immediately reply to CNBC.
[13] -
08
How far the Bank of England actually raises rates.
Traders' prices point to 4.75% by July, while Deutsche Bank expects 4.25% by February and says much of the gap is pay for uncertainty.
[21]
Brazil goes into Lula's fourth term with unemployment at a record low and wages rising faster than prices.
Also true today
- Sabic, the Middle East's biggest chemicals maker, earned 500 million riyals from July to September, after losing 833 million riyals in the three months before.
- Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, an Indian lender to small borrowers, made the biggest quarterly profit in its history, 365 crore rupees.
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