Singapore Is Dodging the Trade-War Bullet. Diversification Is How.
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Aug 14 2025
0mins
Source: Barron's
Prime Minister's Concerns: Singapore's prime minister expresses worries about the country's future and economic stability.
Investor Sentiment: Despite the prime minister's concerns, current investor sentiment remains positive and unaffected.
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Analyst Views on SE
Wall Street analysts forecast SE stock price to rise
12 Analyst Rating
11 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 109.060
Low
138.00
Averages
184.58
High
226.00
Current: 109.060
Low
138.00
Averages
184.58
High
226.00
About SE
Sea Limited is a consumer Internet company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, operates three core businesses of e-commerce, digital financial services, and digital entertainment, known as Shopee, SeaMoney and Garena. Its segments are e-commerce, digital financial services, and digital entertainment. The platform of Garena offers mobile and personal computer online games and develops mobile games for the global market. It offers e-sports and provides access to other entertainment content and social features, such as live-streaming of gameplay, user chat, and online forums. The platform of Shopee is a mobile-centric, social-focused marketplace. It provides users a shopping environment with integrated payment, logistics infrastructure, and seller services. SeaMoney provides digital financial services and products, including mobile wallet services, payment processing, credit, banking, and Insurtech. It operates in Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
MercadoLibre Stock Volatility Analysis
- Stock Price Fluctuation: MercadoLibre's stock surged nearly 5% in early Thursday trading but later retraced to a mere 0.5% increase, reflecting market caution regarding its short-term performance, especially following the analyst upgrade.
- Analyst Rating Upgrade: JPMorgan analyst Marcelo Santos upgraded MercadoLibre to “overweight” and predicts growth rates exceeding 30% in Q4 2025, providing a positive outlook for the company's future performance.
- Changing Competitive Landscape: Santos noted that Shopee's increased “take rates” in Brazil suggest that price competition may be easing, which could give MercadoLibre room to expand its operating margins, despite a 260 basis point decline over the past two years.
- Future Growth Potential: The analyst set a price target of $2,800, implying a potential rise of over 30% in the next 12 months, indicating that MercadoLibre still holds appeal for investors, assuming it can maintain its current 12% margin.
See More
Main Street Research Fully Exits MercadoLibre Position
- Exit Transaction: Main Street Research LLC disclosed on February 9, 2026, that it sold all 15,833 shares of MercadoLibre during Q4 2025, with an estimated transaction value of $37 million, indicating a complete liquidation likely due to the stock's poor performance over the past year, which may have eroded investor confidence.
- Portfolio Shift: Following the exit from MercadoLibre, Main Street's top holdings include NVIDIA (approximately $111.12 million, 6.4% of AUM), Google (approximately $99.44 million, 5.7%), and Microsoft (approximately $81.35 million, 4.7%), reflecting a preference for tech stocks that may offer higher returns.
- Market Performance: As of February 8, 2026, MercadoLibre's stock price stood at $1,970.15, down approximately 1.3% over the past year, significantly underperforming the S&P 500 by 15.3 percentage points, highlighting the challenges it faces in a competitive market environment.
- Future Outlook: Despite Main Street's decision to exit, MercadoLibre is leveraging AI and loan limits to tackle rising bad loan losses, and an economic recovery in Argentina along with leadership changes in Venezuela could stimulate activity in its key markets, suggesting that the stock may still present potential investment opportunities.
See More
Main Street Research Fully Exits MercadoLibre Position
- Complete Liquidation: Main Street Research LLC sold all 15,833 shares of MercadoLibre during Q4, with an estimated transaction value of $37 million, reflecting a full exit from this significant holding and resulting in a $37 million decrease in quarter-end position value.
- Asset Management Impact: This transaction represented approximately 2.12% of Main Street Research's 13F reportable assets under management, compared to 2.0% in the previous quarter, indicating a significant portfolio adjustment decision by the fund.
- Underperformance Issues: Despite being a leading Latin American e-commerce and fintech platform, MercadoLibre's stock has significantly underperformed the S&P 500 over the past year, facing competitive pressures from companies like Amazon and Sea Limited, which may have influenced Main Street Research's decision to sell.
- Uncertain Future Outlook: While MercadoLibre is leveraging AI and loan limits to address rising bad-loan losses, potential economic recovery in Argentina and leadership changes in Venezuela could stimulate activity in critical markets, suggesting that investors should carefully evaluate the stock's future potential.
See More
JP Morgan Lowers SEA LTD Target Price from $210 to $170
- JPMorgan Cuts Target Price: JPMorgan has reduced its target price for a specific stock from $210 to $170.
- Market Implications: This adjustment may reflect changing market conditions or company performance expectations.
See More
Sea Limited Shares Rebound, Ending Six-Day Losing Streak
- Stock Rebound: Sea Limited shares rose 2.1% to $108.49 on Thursday, breaking a six-day losing streak, reflecting market optimism regarding its upcoming earnings potential.
- Poor Annual Performance: Despite the rebound, Sea Limited's stock has fallen nearly 16% in 2025, contrasting with a 0.5% rise in the S&P 500 during the same period, indicating significant market pressures on the company.
- Analyst Ratings: According to Seeking Alpha, Sea Limited holds a Hold rating with a score of 2.8, where its profitability outlook is rated A-, but its momentum factor is rated D-, suggesting concerns about its short-term performance.
- Analyst Support: Despite the risks, 31 Wall Street analysts rated Sea Limited as Buy or higher, demonstrating confidence in the company's long-term growth potential amidst current challenges.
See More
Sea Limited's Optimistic Outlook for 2026
- Significant Performance Growth: Sea Limited's overall revenue increased by 40% year-over-year in Q3 2025, with e-commerce revenue up 35% and digital finance loan balances growing nearly 70%, showcasing strong performance across all business segments and reinforcing its market position.
- Improved Profitability: Adjusted EBITDA grew by 68% year-over-year, reflecting a notable enhancement in Sea's profitability; despite changing market perceptions of its valuation, it remains considered attractively valued relative to its growth prospects.
- Strong Advertising Revenue: Shopee's advertising revenue surged over 70%, becoming a high-margin growth driver, indicating significant potential in the digital advertising space that could further boost overall performance in the future.
- Broad Market Opportunities: The Monee platform is experiencing strong loan growth, particularly from outside the Shopee ecosystem, with this segment currently representing less than 10% of total loans, highlighting Sea's expansion potential in financial services, akin to PayPal's early rapid growth.
See More
MercadoLibre Stock Volatility Analysis
- Stock Price Fluctuation: MercadoLibre's stock surged nearly 5% in early Thursday trading but later retraced to a mere 0.5% increase, reflecting market caution regarding its short-term performance, especially following the analyst upgrade.
- Analyst Rating Upgrade: JPMorgan analyst Marcelo Santos upgraded MercadoLibre to “overweight” and predicts growth rates exceeding 30% in Q4 2025, providing a positive outlook for the company's future performance.
- Changing Competitive Landscape: Santos noted that Shopee's increased “take rates” in Brazil suggest that price competition may be easing, which could give MercadoLibre room to expand its operating margins, despite a 260 basis point decline over the past two years.
- Future Growth Potential: The analyst set a price target of $2,800, implying a potential rise of over 30% in the next 12 months, indicating that MercadoLibre still holds appeal for investors, assuming it can maintain its current 12% margin.
See More
Main Street Research Fully Exits MercadoLibre Position
- Exit Transaction: Main Street Research LLC disclosed on February 9, 2026, that it sold all 15,833 shares of MercadoLibre during Q4 2025, with an estimated transaction value of $37 million, indicating a complete liquidation likely due to the stock's poor performance over the past year, which may have eroded investor confidence.
- Portfolio Shift: Following the exit from MercadoLibre, Main Street's top holdings include NVIDIA (approximately $111.12 million, 6.4% of AUM), Google (approximately $99.44 million, 5.7%), and Microsoft (approximately $81.35 million, 4.7%), reflecting a preference for tech stocks that may offer higher returns.
- Market Performance: As of February 8, 2026, MercadoLibre's stock price stood at $1,970.15, down approximately 1.3% over the past year, significantly underperforming the S&P 500 by 15.3 percentage points, highlighting the challenges it faces in a competitive market environment.
- Future Outlook: Despite Main Street's decision to exit, MercadoLibre is leveraging AI and loan limits to tackle rising bad loan losses, and an economic recovery in Argentina along with leadership changes in Venezuela could stimulate activity in its key markets, suggesting that the stock may still present potential investment opportunities.
See More
Main Street Research Fully Exits MercadoLibre Position
- Complete Liquidation: Main Street Research LLC sold all 15,833 shares of MercadoLibre during Q4, with an estimated transaction value of $37 million, reflecting a full exit from this significant holding and resulting in a $37 million decrease in quarter-end position value.
- Asset Management Impact: This transaction represented approximately 2.12% of Main Street Research's 13F reportable assets under management, compared to 2.0% in the previous quarter, indicating a significant portfolio adjustment decision by the fund.
- Underperformance Issues: Despite being a leading Latin American e-commerce and fintech platform, MercadoLibre's stock has significantly underperformed the S&P 500 over the past year, facing competitive pressures from companies like Amazon and Sea Limited, which may have influenced Main Street Research's decision to sell.
- Uncertain Future Outlook: While MercadoLibre is leveraging AI and loan limits to address rising bad-loan losses, potential economic recovery in Argentina and leadership changes in Venezuela could stimulate activity in critical markets, suggesting that investors should carefully evaluate the stock's future potential.
See More
JP Morgan Lowers SEA LTD Target Price from $210 to $170
- JPMorgan Cuts Target Price: JPMorgan has reduced its target price for a specific stock from $210 to $170.
- Market Implications: This adjustment may reflect changing market conditions or company performance expectations.
See More
Sea Limited Shares Rebound, Ending Six-Day Losing Streak
- Stock Rebound: Sea Limited shares rose 2.1% to $108.49 on Thursday, breaking a six-day losing streak, reflecting market optimism regarding its upcoming earnings potential.
- Poor Annual Performance: Despite the rebound, Sea Limited's stock has fallen nearly 16% in 2025, contrasting with a 0.5% rise in the S&P 500 during the same period, indicating significant market pressures on the company.
- Analyst Ratings: According to Seeking Alpha, Sea Limited holds a Hold rating with a score of 2.8, where its profitability outlook is rated A-, but its momentum factor is rated D-, suggesting concerns about its short-term performance.
- Analyst Support: Despite the risks, 31 Wall Street analysts rated Sea Limited as Buy or higher, demonstrating confidence in the company's long-term growth potential amidst current challenges.
See More
Sea Limited's Optimistic Outlook for 2026
- Significant Performance Growth: Sea Limited's overall revenue increased by 40% year-over-year in Q3 2025, with e-commerce revenue up 35% and digital finance loan balances growing nearly 70%, showcasing strong performance across all business segments and reinforcing its market position.
- Improved Profitability: Adjusted EBITDA grew by 68% year-over-year, reflecting a notable enhancement in Sea's profitability; despite changing market perceptions of its valuation, it remains considered attractively valued relative to its growth prospects.
- Strong Advertising Revenue: Shopee's advertising revenue surged over 70%, becoming a high-margin growth driver, indicating significant potential in the digital advertising space that could further boost overall performance in the future.
- Broad Market Opportunities: The Monee platform is experiencing strong loan growth, particularly from outside the Shopee ecosystem, with this segment currently representing less than 10% of total loans, highlighting Sea's expansion potential in financial services, akin to PayPal's early rapid growth.
See More
