Herbalife

Herbalife Tumbles 14% On News Criminal Probe Has Been Launched Into Company

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– Herbalife Tumbles 14% On News Criminal Probe Has Been Launched Into Company (Zerohedge, April 11, 2014):

The Herbalife drama – perhaps the biggest billionaire pissing contest of 2013 – just got excting again, following FT news that a criminal probe has been launched into Herbalife. “The US Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating Herbalife, the multi-level marketing company that hedge fund manager Bill Ackman has alleged is a pyramid scheme, according to people familiar with the matter. The criminal investigation by the FBI and US attorney’s office in Manhattan raises the stakes for Herbalife, which is already facing civil inquiries from multiple government agencies that are looking into the Los Angeles-based company and its associated network of independent distributors.”

One can’t help but wonder if those “people familiar” have a material stake in Pershing Square, which as is widely known has an extensive short and put position in HLF shares, which as expected tumbled by 14% on the news.

Read moreHerbalife Tumbles 14% On News Criminal Probe Has Been Launched Into Company

George Soros Goes Long Herbalife, Makes It “Top 3” Position

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– George Soros Goes Long Herbalife, Makes It “Top 3” Position (ZeroHedge, July 31, 2013):

It just keeps going form bad to worse for William Ackman. The so-called retail expert tried to diffuse the situation today by announcing a massive $2 billion position in Airgas, only for Herbalife to go right back front and center, following news moments ago from CNBC that none other than George Soros has taken a long stake in Herbalife, and not just any stake but a “top 3” position. We haven’t done the math but the float out there must be getting dangerously low for Ackman: low enough to where the Volkswagen scenario we predicted in early January (just as we predicted the imminent epic short squeeze) may finally come in play as there is not enough float to cover Ackman’s short, and certainly not when the longs decide to pull all the borrow. If and when the Ackman margin calls hit, we hope that Soros will accept shares of Airgas as deliverable.

In the meantime, the stock is up 173% since December, or when we said to go long following Whitney Tilson’s “short.”

Read moreGeorge Soros Goes Long Herbalife, Makes It “Top 3” Position