ONE-TWENTY TWO: Trading Financial Markets
Exploring the poetry in financial markets for students of money and economy since the year 2000.
“This is the hedge-fund equivalent of Stalingrad. Someone is going to lose big. And the victor will be so bloodied that the word victory will sound hollow… For a short-seller who is as risk-averse as me watching this is pure hedge-fund porn.” From “Bill Ackman enters the city of Stalingrad,” John Hempton of Bronte Capital, … Read more
(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on January 4, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} This reversal was punctuated by Chapman Capital’s Robert Chapman revelations on January 3rd that he bought HLF on the cheap to trade directly against Ackman. Source: FreeStockCharts.com Herb Greenberg of … Read more
(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on December 24, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) So it turns out that Bill Ackman, with his hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management, is the “big whale” behind the massive short position built against Herbalife (HLF). Ackman indicated that … Read more
Nike (NKE) Just 6 months ago, Nike (NKE) posted earnings that disappointed investors to the tune of a 9.4% one-day drop. That drop was unusually large for NKE, but it printed the stock’s low for 2012. The stock steadily ground its way higher and filled its gap down within a month. NKE next stalled at … Read more
(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on December 6, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) The Amazon.com post-earnings trade ended down for this final quarter of the year. It was a rare miss that included some important moves in the stock. The chart below shows the … Read more
(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on December 3, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) I was absolutely fascinated by a recent Seeking Alpha piece titled “The Surprising Truth Behind Herbalife Put Volume.” It is a revealing treatise and a cautionary reminder of why traders must … Read more
(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November 28, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) On October 25th, I noted how intrepid traders had loaded up on November $45 puts ahead of news that Monster Beverage Corporation (MNST) was implicated in a lawsuit over the death … Read more
(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on December 3, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Analyst consensus anticipates a rate cut at the next meeting of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). I forgive you for being surprised if you have been keeping your eye on … Read more
This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November 14, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) By now, news about the budding housing recovery should feel like very old news. However, I think it still makes sense to continue checking in with companies with front row seats … Read more
This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on November 5, 2012. Click here to read the entire piece.) Back in February, I reviewed the latest earnings report from Whirlpool (WHR) and concluded that the stock still had upside but it was better to buy on a dip. {snip} Source: … Read more