Article: CEO’s Corner: Overstock.com’s Patrick Byrne on Expansion, Sales Tax, More

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CEO’s Corner: Overstock.com’s Patrick Byrne on Expansion, Sales Tax, More

MERCEDES CARDONA, 24 March 2011

Online retailer Overstock.com (OSTK) has been on a tear lately. Even after increasing its spending on marketing and technology, the company boosted its earnings 79% and its revenue 24% in fiscal 2010. It’s now gearing up for international expansion, recently introducing the domain name O.co as an overseas-friendly shortcut and signing a deal with DHL to reduce its international shipping costs. Continue reading “Article: CEO’s Corner: Overstock.com’s Patrick Byrne on Expansion, Sales Tax, More”

Article: Thinking about buying stock in Sundial Growers, Liquid Media, Benitec Biopharma, Evolve Transition Infrastructure, or Zomedica?

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Thinking about buying stock in Sundial Growers, Liquid Media, Benitec Biopharma, Evolve Transition Infrastructure, or Zomedica?

PRNewswire, 23 March 2011

NEW YORK, March 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — InvestorsObserver issues critical PriceWatch Alerts for SNDL, YVR, BNTC, SNMP, and ZOM.

To see how InvestorsObserver’s proprietary scoring system rates these stocks, view the InvestorsObserver’s PriceWatch Alert by selecting the corresponding link. Continue reading “Article: Thinking about buying stock in Sundial Growers, Liquid Media, Benitec Biopharma, Evolve Transition Infrastructure, or Zomedica?”

Article: Almost everyone condemns naked short selling. But not the British Treasury

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Almost everyone condemns naked short selling. But not the British Treasury

George Monbiot , 15 February 2011

You think you’ve seen the worst of it; you haven’t. Last week I wrote about how the British government, while imposing extra taxes and devastating cuts on ordinary mortals, has quietly engineered a new tax exemption for the banks and corporations, which also encourages these businesses to shift some of their operations overseas. I thought that was as bad as it got. I was wrong.

On the day I wrote that column the Conservatives were doing something just as repulsive, and far more dangerous. On Wednesday George Osborne told the House of Commons “we will make sure we learn every lesson that needs to be learned – so that this [the financial crisis] never happens again”. Two days before, his government demonstrated that nothing has been learned at all. Let me first explain the context.

Most people obtain shares or bonds or other securities in the hope that their value will rise. Short sellers hope their price will fall. They might borrow, for instance, 10,000 shares and sell them for £1 a piece. Then they pray that the value collapses. If they’re in luck, and the share price halves, for instance, they can buy the same number as they sold for 50p each. They return the shares to the broker who lent them, and pocket £5,000 (minus fees).

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Article: Exposed by a Short Seller, Luckin Coffee, another Chinese Company that Defrauded US Investors, Filed for Bankruptcy in New York Today

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Exposed by a Short Seller, Luckin Coffee, another Chinese Company that Defrauded US Investors, Filed for Bankruptcy in New York Today

Wolf Richter, 05 February 2011

Luckin Coffee, a Starbucks imitator and one of many Chinese companies with no operations in the US that have their IPOs in the US and raise funds in the US, filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy in New York today. The downfall of Luckin was triggered by short seller Carson Block of Muddy Waters that published detailed allegations on January 31, 2020, of massive fraud at the company, perpetrated at the highest levels.

By the time the Muddy Waters report came out, the company’s stock – well, American Depositary Receipt (ADR) – had skyrocketed from the IPO price of $17 a share in May 2019, to $50 a share in January 2020, giving the company a market capitalization (share price times shares outstanding) of $12.6 billion. Continue reading “Article: Exposed by a Short Seller, Luckin Coffee, another Chinese Company that Defrauded US Investors, Filed for Bankruptcy in New York Today”

Article: Investing for Profit in the Russian Mafia States Stock Market, Goodbye Chinese Century?

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Investing for Profit in the Russian Mafia States Stock Market, Goodbye Chinese Century?

Wikileaks recently released U.S. Embassy cables that contained accusations of Russia being a defacto Mafia State that has ceased to be a democracy and is run by the secret services on behalf of an Oligarchy. Much of which comes as nothing of a surprise to either the Russian people, business men or foreign investors who know that whilst doing business with Russia can prove highly profitable,

however investors and business people have to be nimble footed by being prepared to pull their funds out at short notice, which mean investors need to be invested in highly liquid funds that aim to track or better the general Russian stock indices such as the RTS stock market index rather than in illiquid individual stocks.

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Article: Innovation Mandate: Patrick Byrne Lays It On The Line

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Innovation Mandate: Patrick Byrne Lays It On The Line

Doug Henschen, 10 December 2010

Online discount retailer Overstock.com is recognized as a world-class technology organization. Using advanced information management technology, for instance, it can roll up its profit-and-loss position in two hours, giving executives accurate, up-to-date insight for fast decision-making. Continue reading “Article: Innovation Mandate: Patrick Byrne Lays It On The Line”

Article: Are the Feds Closing in on Billionaire Steven Cohen?

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Are the Feds Closing in on Billionaire Steven Cohen?

As part of a high-profile insider trading probe, the FBI raided three large hedge funds Monday. Two targets of the raid, Diamondback Capital Management and Level Global Investors have ties to billionaire investor Steven Cohen, a renowned art collector and #87 on Forbes’s world’s richest billionaires list.

Cohen, manager of SAC Capital Advisors, is a giant in the hedge fund world and news of the probe is generating a lot of buzz in the finance world:

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Article: Southridge Hedgie Hicks Shrugs Off Regulators Investor Fraud Suits

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Southridge Hedgie Hicks Shrugs Off Regulators Investor Fraud Suits

Teri Buhl, 26 October 2010

Stephen Hicks and his Ridgefield, CT hedge fund, Southridge Capital, were sued yesterday for multiple securities violations by the SEC and the Connecticut Banking Commissioner in Connecticut state and federal courts. Howard Pitkin, head of the CT Department of Banking, has been after Hicks for investor fraud and abuse in its broker dealer business since 2007.

Hicks is fight back- after being ordered to comply with a subpoena from the Banking Commission, Southridge then appealed to the Connecticut Supreme Court but Pitken eventually won the right to review the funds internal records. Pitkin had originally filed a cease and desist order against the broker dealer side of the hedge funds business. Now he wants to shut the whole Southridge opperation down. Continue reading “Article: Southridge Hedgie Hicks Shrugs Off Regulators Investor Fraud Suits”

Article: Connecticut, SEC Sue Southridge Capital for Fraud

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Connecticut, SEC Sue Southridge Capital for Fraud

Karen Freifeld and Joshua Gallu, 26 October 2010

Southridge Capital Management LLC was sued by Connecticut over $26 million in fees charged investors based on what state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal called false statements about the value of assets.

The investment firm, based in Ridgefield, Connecticut, also was sued today by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and accused of defrauding investors in hedge funds.

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Article: SEC Charges Conn. Hedge Manager With Fraud

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SEC Charges Conn. Hedge Manager With Fraud

Matt Ackermann, 25 October 2010

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Connecticut banking commission have sued a Connecticut hedge fund manager with fraud.

The SEC and Connecticut Banking Commissioner Howard Pitkin charged Southridge Capital Management LLC and its chief executive officer, Stephen M. Hicks, with defrauding investors in million of undeserved fees.

According to a filing in federal court in Connecticut Monday, the SEC alleged that Hicks overvalued the largest position held by funds managed by Southridge and Southridge Advisors LLC. The SEC also said he made material misrepresentations to investors and misused their money to pay legal and administrative expenses of other funds managed by Hicks and Southridge. Continue reading “Article: SEC Charges Conn. Hedge Manager With Fraud”

Article: UPDATE 1-SEC, Connecticut charge fund manager with fraud

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UPDATE 1-SEC, Connecticut charge fund manager with fraud

Jonathan Stempel, 25 October 2010

NEW YORK, Oct 25 (Reuters) – A Connecticut hedge fund firm was sued on Monday by U.S. and state regulators for allegedly inflating the value of its holdings, allowing it to fraudulently collect millions of dollars of undeserved fees.

Southridge Capital Management LLC and its Chief Executive Stephen Hicks, 52, were sued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Connecticut Banking Commissioner Howard Pitkin over their management and financial reporting of several funds.

The SEC said Hicks falsely valued Southridge’s largest holding, speech recognition company Fonix Corp, at $30 million or more based almost entirely on a 2004 transaction in which Fonix bought two companies from an entity he controlled.

It also said Hicks raised $78.9 million over the 2004 to 2007 period after falsely promising investors that more than 75 percent of assets would be put in liquid investments or cash.

Connecticut alleged the overvaluing of fund assets allowed Ridgefield-based Southridge to fraudulently collect more than $26 million in fees from 2004 to 2007. Continue reading “Article: UPDATE 1-SEC, Connecticut charge fund manager with fraud”

Article: Southridge Capital Management Founder Charged With Fraud Though He May Not Know It Yet

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Southridge Capital Management Founder Charged With Fraud Though He May Not Know It Yet

BESS LEVIN, 10 October 2010

This afternoon, Connecticut regulators accused investment adviser Southridge Capital and its chief executive Stephen Hicks of “preparing false financial statements” that “inflated the assets of five funds from 2004 through 2007 so that they could charge higher fees,” in an alleged scam that netted them an ill-gotten $26 million.

Additionally, many investors have apparently put in redemption requests as far back as 2001, though none of them have seen a dime. Attorney General said the firm told “lucrative lies” which hurt not only its clients “but also the entire economy.” How is Hicks taking the news? Is he ashamed and/or embarrassed? Is he defiantly calling the charges bogus, telling family and friends he’ll fight them? Is he proud of what he’s done and the alliterative prose he inspired in Blumenthal? Or does have no idea he’s been accused of anything, having only seen a bunch of missed calls on his phone?

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Article: SEC Brings Fraud Charges Against Another Hedge Fund

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SEC Brings Fraud Charges Against Another Hedge Fund

Stephen Taub, 25 October 2010

Another day, another hedge fund accused of wrong-doing by regulators.

The Securities and Exchange Commission Monday charged hedge fund manager Stephen M. Hicks and his investment advisory businesses with defrauding investors in funds managed by Southridge Capital Management LLC and Southridge Advisors LLC by overvaluing the largest position held by the funds. The SEC also alleges that Ridgefield, Ct.-based Hicks “made material misrepresentations” and misused investor money to pay legal and administrative expenses of other funds managed by Hicks and Southridge. Continue reading “Article: SEC Brings Fraud Charges Against Another Hedge Fund”

Article: Rare Element Resources: Potential Short Opportunity

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Rare Element Resources: Potential Short Opportunity

Shareholder Watchdog, 21 October 2010

We have witnessed a fair share of bubbles over the past 15 years: internet stocks, housing, crude oil, and Chinese stocks. We have had some success in identifying “bubbles” in individual stocks and warning the investment community about specific issues (including HUSA at $20.35 see here and PCBC at $5.11 see here). Continue reading “Article: Rare Element Resources: Potential Short Opportunity”

Article: Naked Short Selling Banned By EU

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Naked Short Selling Banned By EU

Global Custodian, 15 September 2010

European Regulators have issued new rules aimed at controlling naked short selling and derivatives trading. Naked short selling, where the investor sells shares short without confirming the availability of the stock, has been banned.

Investors will also be forced to disclose their short position in a firm to regulators if it exceeds 0.2%, and to the market as a whole if it crosses 0.5%. Investors will have to disclose short positions on sovereign bonds, even if the position was obtained using credit default swaps.

The ban on naked short selling by the European Commission will be enforced from July 2012 after approval from the European Parliament. Previously, the seller did not have to prove their ability to obtain the stock. According to todays proposal, in order to “to enter a short sale an investor must have borrowed the instruments concerned, entered into an agreement to borrow them, or have an arrangement with a third party to locate and reserve them for lending so that they are delivered by the settlement date [at the latest 4 days after the transaction].” Continue reading “Article: Naked Short Selling Banned By EU”

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