Hayden Capital, an investment management firm, released its second-quarter 2026 investment letter. The letter can be downloaded here. In the second quarter, the portfolio gained 6.9%, compared to the S&P 500's 15.2%. Overall, approximately 34% of the portfolio is in Asia, 43% in North America, and the rest spread across other regions. Hayden Capital remains guided by a strategy focused on high-quality franchises with stable earnings power, continuing to invest despite this year's challenging results. Their largest investments are experiencing over 40% revenue growth yet are trading at similar valuations to the broader market, indicating potential for future outperformance. The recent market corrections in AI investments have prompted a healthier perspective among investors, emphasizing the importance of strong business fundamentals. Companies are leaning towards partnerships with AI firms rather than outright replacements, ensuring better access to data and operational efficiency. Six months into the "SaaS-pocalypse," software incumbents remain resilient despite initial fears of disruption. While AI is indeed transformative, the anticipated rapid changes in markets have not materialized as quickly as expected. Also, check the fund's top five holdings to see its best picks in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Hayden Capital highlighted MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI). MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) operates online commerce platforms in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and internationally. On August 27, 2026, MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) closed at $1,930.75 per share. Over the past month, MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) returned 2.81%, while its shares have declined 21.92% in the last 52 weeks. MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) has a market capitalization of $97.88 billion, and its stock has traded within a 52-week range of $1,495.00 to $2,548.50.
Hayden Capital stated the following regarding MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Another situation I'm following closely is MercadoLibre, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:MELI) reinvestment program in Latin America. The company has been building out same and next-day shipping, and offering free shipping on low-ticket items (those under R$19 in Brazil).
By my calculations, Mercado Libre has spent ~$2.2BN in ***** ulative reinvestment spend since mid-last year. The initiative is still early, but we're starting to see signs of it paying off. New buyers grew ~+18M over the last twelve months (+26% y/y), against a pre-investment run-rate of ~15% y/y.

#mercadolibre #second