Business

Why airlines are warning over lithium-ion batteries

Published

2 hours ago

7 August 2026

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According to Jonathan Nicholson at the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), for the airline industry, lithium-ion batteries are “if not number one, within the top three risks for a good few years now”.

A US recent study showed, external the industry was affected by two lithium-ion battery related incidents a week worldwide, he adds. Those incidents could range from passengers belatedly realising they’d left a device in checked baggage, to devices smoking or catching fire in airport baggage halls, or on flights.

But the results can be far more extreme. In January 2025 an Air Busan plane was destroyed on the tarmac in Gimhae Airport in South Korea, with investigators concluding a power bank battery pack left in an overhead luggage compartment was the culprit.

This prompted the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to launch a global campaign, external to encourage passengers to “Travel Smart with Lithium Batteries”.

There is nothing about flying that makes lithium-ion technology more dangerous, explains Nicholson. Rather, he said “it’s a lot harder to deal with at 32,000 feet in an aircraft cabin”.

Nicholson said the prevalence of lithium-ion related incidents was down to “more people, more flights, more devices”.

The US Federal Aviation Administration says that battery safety is a priority. Its data “continues to show an increase in confirmed incidents”, with 51 verified incidents for the year to July 15, external.

Pierre Kubiak, a principal engineer specialising in battery technology at the UK’s National Physical Laboratory, adds that while cell phones, power banks, tablets and laptops are the most obvious portable devices people bring on planes, smart watches, smart glasses and vapes were increasingly common.

“The lithium by itself doesn’t burn, it’s more all the organic material and plastic,” he explains. “The point is that it gets very, very hot, very fast. I mean, more than 700 to 1000 degrees super fast.”

The dangers of lithium-ion batteries really broke into the public consciousness following a series of phone-related fires about a decade ago.

Kubiak says that this had been down to flawed designs, and that manufacturers had since addressed concerns. South Korea is a leader in this space he adds.

But it was hard to control the proliferation of cheaply produced battery packs from East Asia, as well as vapes and other powered devices, with questionable quality controls. “Price is everything,” he says. Moreover, he adds, passengers often contribute to the problem by using unsuitable cables and not caring for devices.

Business

MercadoLibre Shares Fall 7% Despite Record $10.2 Billion Revenue as Profit Margins Narrow Again

Published

6 minutes ago

7 August 2026

NewsAdmin

MercadoLibre Shares Fall 7% Despite Record $10.2 Billion Revenue as

Shares of MercadoLibre fell Thursday, trading down 6.57%, or $126.29, to $1,796.28, extending a decline that began after the Latin American e-commerce and fintech giant reported second-quarter results showing record revenue that nonetheless failed to prevent a third consecutive quarterly decline in net income.

The stock’s slide began late Wednesday, when shares initially fell 7.23% in post-market trading to $1,783.49 following the release of the company’s earnings report, down from Wednesday’s regular-session closing price of $1,922.57. The decline reflected a familiar pattern for MercadoLibre this year: strong top-line growth overshadowed by investor concern over the company’s shrinking profit margins as it continues investing heavily in its commerce, fintech and logistics operations.

Record Revenue, Falling Profit

MercadoLibre reported second-quarter revenue of $10.2 billion, up 50% from the same period a year earlier and roughly $500 million ahead of the $9.7 billion analysts had expected. The quarter marked the first time in the company’s history that quarterly revenue surpassed the $10 billion threshold. Adjusted earnings came in at $9.19 per share, beating the $8.58 analysts had forecast.

Despite those top-line and per-share beats, net income fell 11% from a year earlier to $466 million, though the figure still came in ahead of the $433 million analysts had expected. Operating income declined 17% to $683 million, even as it exceeded forecasts. The company’s operating margin narrowed to 6.7%, down from 12.2% in the same period a year earlier, a compression of roughly 550 basis points that has become the central point of investor concern surrounding the stock.

A Pattern of Deliberate Margin Compression

Thursday’s reaction extends a trend that has now played out across multiple consecutive quarters, in which MercadoLibre’s rapid revenue growth has been consistently offset by shrinking profitability as the company prioritizes expansion over near-term margin preservation. The company’s leadership has previously indicated that much of the margin decline reflects deliberate strategic choices rather than unexpected cost pressures, including continued investment in free shipping subsidies, an expanding logistics footprint, and the rapid scaling of its credit card and lending business across Latin America.

Higher spending on the company’s core commerce business, ongoing pressure tied to payment acquiring services in Mexico, and continued investment in broader ecosystem expansion were all cited as contributing factors weighing on profitability during the quarter. The company’s net interest margin, a key metric for its fintech operations, did show improvement, rising to 21% from 18% in the first quarter of 2026, supported by stronger performance across its major markets, offering one bright spot within an otherwise mixed profitability picture.

AI Investments Boosting Productivity

MercadoLibre highlighted continued progress in integrating artificial intelligence across its operations, saying AI tools have enhanced search functionality, fulfillment operations and overall sales productivity. According to the company, technology productivity metrics have increased seven to ten times faster than the pace of employee growth, an efficiency gain executives pointed to as evidence that the company’s technology investments are beginning to yield measurable operational benefits even as overall margins remain under pressure from other parts of the business.

A Year of Volatility

Thursday’s decline adds to what has already been a turbulent year for MercadoLibre’s stock. Shares have fallen sharply at multiple points in 2026, including a roughly 11% to 13% single-day drop following the company’s first-quarter results in early May, when strong revenue growth of 49% was similarly overshadowed by a steep decline in operating income tied to increased shipping subsidies and rising loan-loss provisions connected to the rapid expansion of its credit card business. That first-quarter selloff pushed the stock as much as 37% below its 52-week high of $2,645.22, with the shares experiencing a maximum drawdown of nearly 41% at one point during the year.

Even prior to this year’s declines, MercadoLibre had already shown a pattern of sharp single-session swings tied to earnings, including a roughly 10% drop following mixed fourth-quarter results reported earlier in the year, when operating margins fell to 10.1% from 13.5% in the prior-year period, driven by similar concerns over heavy spending on logistics, AI expansion and marketing.

Wall Street Remains Broadly Positive

Despite the stock’s repeated post-earnings declines throughout 2026, analyst sentiment toward MercadoLibre has remained largely favorable heading into and following Wednesday’s report. According to FactSet Research Systems, coverage of the stock included 19 buy ratings, one overweight rating and five hold ratings, with no analysts issuing a sell recommendation ahead of the results. Shares had risen roughly 2% in the days leading up to the earnings release, a gain that Wednesday’s after-hours decline more than erased.

Some brokerages had already moved to adjust their outlooks ahead of the report, with the after-market trading price landing just 2.4% above the lowest price target among analysts tracked by FactSet, suggesting that at least part of the market had already positioned for a mixed reaction even before the specific results were released.

What Investors Are Watching Next

Attention now turns to a series of upcoming macroeconomic events that could further influence sentiment toward MercadoLibre, given the company’s heavy exposure to economic conditions across Latin America. Mexico’s central bank is scheduled to announce its latest interest rate decision on Aug. 6, a development that could directly affect consumer spending and credit demand in one of MercadoLibre’s key markets. U.S. inflation data due Aug. 12 is also likely to draw investor attention, given its broader implications for interest rate policy and risk appetite toward emerging-market-exposed stocks like MercadoLibre.

A Business Still Expanding Rapidly

Despite the market’s repeated skepticism toward the company’s margin trajectory, MercadoLibre’s underlying growth metrics have remained robust throughout the year. The company has continued expanding its logistics infrastructure across Brazil, its largest market, including the addition of new fulfillment centers and last-mile delivery capacity, part of a broader strategy that management has consistently framed as prioritizing long-term market share and customer growth over near-term profitability.

With MercadoLibre once again demonstrating record revenue growth alongside a third consecutive quarter of declining net income, investors are likely to continue closely scrutinizing the company’s margin trajectory in the quarters ahead, particularly as it relates to the scaling of its fintech and credit operations. Whether the current pattern of strong sales growth paired with narrowing profitability represents a sustainable long-term strategy or a source of continued near-term stock volatility is expected to remain the central question shaping investor sentiment toward the company through the remainder of 2026.