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Shorting The Short-Sellers - Bearish Bets Soar On Loeb, Einhorn Firms

Tyler Durden's picture




 

Cynical short-sellers are targeting some of Wall Street's most famous short-sellers. Amid plunges in the stock prices of David Einhorn's Greenlight Capital and Dan Loeb's Third Point reinsurance entities, Bloomberg reports that bearish investors have piled in pushing short interest (as a percent of shares outstanding) to its highest since 2009.

The money managers helped build the reinsurers and took them public years ago, partly to expand their investment portfolios. But, as one trader notes, the firms also created a trading opportunity for short sellers who are seeking to guard against losses in their hedge fund holdings.

David Einhorn's reinsurer's short interest is the highest since 2009...

 

And Dan Loeb's reinsurance entity has reached its highest short interest on record...

 

“The way the model is intended to work has not worked out in their favor,” Ken Billingsley, an analyst at Compass Point Research & Trading, who has a buy rating on Third Point Re, said of the reinsurers.

“It’s a double whammy. You’re losing money on the assets-and-investing side of the portfolio. You’re losing money on the risk-taking, the insurance side of the business. It’s obviously not conducive to generating good returns for shareholders.”

However, as Bloomberg adds, investors who trade the reinsurers’ stocks could be at risk if they think they’re getting a simple route to bet on a gain or loss in the affiliated hedge funds, said Brian Jacobsen, chief portfolio strategist at Wells Fargo Advantage Funds.

“People always have to watch out for the short squeeze,” where stocks jump and investors have to close out their positions betting on a decline, he said. “It can be triggered by just about anything, when you have high-profile individuals at the helm of these companies.”

We wait the call for a ban on speculative short-selling from these hedge fund managers.

Charts: Bloomberg

 

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Thu, 12/17/2015 - 14:14 | 6935897 firstdivision
firstdivision's picture

A snake eating its tail.  Can't wait to see who'll come out on top in this mad dash for resources.

Thu, 12/17/2015 - 14:50 | 6936076 slaughterer
slaughterer's picture

I would rather short Ackman than Loeb or Einhorn.

Thu, 12/17/2015 - 14:16 | 6935902 Soul Glow
Soul Glow's picture

Monsters bets against gold and silver too.  Maybe I should wait to buy more silver when it is $0 per ounce with a $20 premium.

Thu, 12/17/2015 - 14:31 | 6935978 Anopheles
Anopheles's picture

Gold down today almost $30 and silver down $0.50

Gold remains over $1,000  ............... for now

Thu, 12/17/2015 - 14:46 | 6936059 PrezTrump
PrezTrump's picture

but but but everyone is saying buy gold? 

what am i gonna do with my shipment?

its already in ther mail!!

And they don't want it back!!

Thu, 12/17/2015 - 14:31 | 6935979 arbwhore
arbwhore's picture

The current bet is the extreme becomes even moar extreme. As long as the $ keeps rising, money from abroad will continue to flow into equities.

Thu, 12/17/2015 - 14:49 | 6936069 PrezTrump
PrezTrump's picture

where else is there.

(thumbs up)

Thu, 12/17/2015 - 14:45 | 6936051 PrezTrump
PrezTrump's picture

all the more reason to rally..

right before the crash.

Thu, 12/17/2015 - 17:43 | 6936987 El Hosel
El Hosel's picture

Spy just rallied 85 points  three days... there is your "right before". Bring in the big witch.

Thu, 12/17/2015 - 15:27 | 6936224 Squid Viscous
Squid Viscous's picture

Jews eating each other alive... moar popcorn stat!!

Thu, 12/17/2015 - 15:47 | 6936344 Ward cleaver
Ward cleaver's picture

Oy David, vat are you doing to me? We are brothers, no?

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