上周,在GameStop史詩一般的上漲過程中,做空機(jī)構(gòu)遭受重創(chuàng),行業(yè)資深人士、香櫞研究公司創(chuàng)始人安德魯?萊福特甚至因此放棄了高風(fēng)險的賣空行為。
但現(xiàn)在就斷定空頭已經(jīng)出局依然為時尚早。
周四,做空研究機(jī)構(gòu)興登堡研究(Hindenburg Research)發(fā)布了一份重磅報告,矛頭直指知名風(fēng)險投資者、“特殊目的收購公司(SPAC)”之王查瑪斯?帕里哈皮迪亞參與投資的健康科技初創(chuàng)公司Clover Health。被該健康保險公司列作投資者的還包括谷歌母公司Alphabet,前總統(tǒng)克林頓之女切爾西?克林頓則是該公司的董事會成員。
去年,興登堡研究因踢爆電動汽車初創(chuàng)企業(yè)尼古拉而聲名鵲起,這一次,該機(jī)構(gòu)則將做空的矛頭指向了Clover Health,指控該公司在上月的SPAC上市交易準(zhǔn)備階段“與其來自華爾街的名人推手查瑪斯?帕里哈皮迪亞在該公司業(yè)務(wù)的許多關(guān)鍵問題上誤導(dǎo)了投資者。”
具體而言,該報告指控Clover Health未向投資者披露“其商業(yè)模式,也未向投資者披露所謂的‘Clover Assistant’軟件服務(wù)正在接受美國司法部調(diào)查的事實,根據(jù)我們獲得的民事調(diào)查協(xié)查要求(Civil Investigative Demand,類似于傳票),相關(guān)調(diào)查至少涉及12項問題,包括回扣問題、營銷方式、未披露第三方交易等等。”
興登堡報告于2月5日股市開盤前約一小時發(fā)布,甫一開盤,Clover Health股價應(yīng)聲而落,大跌15%,隨后有所回升。
在被《財富》問及興登堡報告中的指控時,Clover Health表示將在“未來幾個小時內(nèi)”發(fā)表評論。而帕里哈皮迪亞的發(fā)言人則并未回應(yīng)《財富》的置評請求。
@查瑪斯
在散戶投資者、特別是Reddit族群眼中,帕里哈皮迪亞儼然是像“人民英雄”一般的存在。不出所料,Clover Health的投資者及股票觀察人士周四紛紛在Twitter上敦促帕里哈皮迪亞發(fā)表自己的觀點,如此做法顯然是為了給直線下跌的股價提供支撐。他們還試圖爭取其他日內(nèi)交易者的支持,希望后者買入該公司股票,而這么做顯然是為了引發(fā)股價反彈,擠出空頭。
不過這種策略也有一個很嚴(yán)重的問題,那就是興登堡研究目前并未參與Clover Health股票的交易。
興登堡研究在報告中寫道:“我們認(rèn)為,在當(dāng)前的市場環(huán)境中,讓民眾了解做空機(jī)構(gòu)在揭露欺詐和公司瀆職方面所扮演的角色更為重要,因而我們并未參與Clover Health的股票交易,既未做多也未做空。”該機(jī)構(gòu)所傳達(dá)出的信息是:在當(dāng)前這樣一個散戶投資者與做空投資者彼此充滿敵意的環(huán)境中,興登堡研究更愿意扮演“吹哨人”的角色,而不是加倉進(jìn)場,賺取收益。
興登堡研究的突然襲擊讓許多Twitter用戶大受震動。一位Twitter用戶在興登堡研究有關(guān)該報告的推文下回復(fù)到:“你們說自己并未參與Clover Health股票的交易,那你們花這么多錢和時間做這件事的動機(jī)是什么?”
Clover Health去年秋季被帕里哈皮迪亞旗下的特殊目的收購公司Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings III收購,今年1月8日,仍處于虧損狀態(tài)的Clover Health成功上市,就此成為帕里哈皮迪亞旗下第三家通過特殊并購成功上市的公司。
支持弱者
作為Facebook的前任高管和持續(xù)投資者,帕里哈皮迪亞已成為支持散戶投資者的重要代表,他曾多次提醒自己在Twitter上的120萬粉絲應(yīng)當(dāng)對華爾街保持警惕。他還利用自己的平臺多次對短線交易者的另一個死敵——做空機(jī)構(gòu)發(fā)起進(jìn)攻。
巴菲特曾說:在市場上,時機(jī)不重要,時間才重要。
隨著個人持有股票時間的增長,資本利得稅應(yīng)當(dāng)降低,每年降低20%,持有5年后降至0%。以此對長期投資進(jìn)行激勵。
— Chamath Palihapitiya (@chamath) 2021年1月31日
在上周四的報告中,興登堡指出,在許多地方,該公司與帕里哈皮迪亞擁有相同的理念,報告中寫道:
“對于查馬斯的一些觀點,我們完全贊同:1.華爾街是一個腐敗、齷齪的地方……2.市場一出現(xiàn)問題華爾街的銀行家和高管就會跳出來呼吁救助和監(jiān)管,只想著通過疏通關(guān)系牟取利益……3.人民不應(yīng)受到審查。”
但興登堡研究創(chuàng)始人內(nèi)森?安德森并不贊同帕里哈皮迪亞對特殊目的收購公司價值的看法。
特殊目的收購公司由于受到的監(jiān)管相對較少,已逐漸成為牛市中快速籌集大筆資金的首選途徑。據(jù)高盛介紹,在去年創(chuàng)下全新記錄之后,今年迄今為止,特殊目的收購公司的IPO數(shù)量和募資金額都已超過傳統(tǒng)IPO。高盛在最近的一份研究報告中寫道,“2021年前三周,新上SPAC IPO項目共56個,共募集資金160億美元,而傳統(tǒng)IPO僅為9個,共籌集資金約40億美元。”
去年安德森曾對《財富》表示,他擔(dān)心這股SPAC熱潮或許會使劣質(zhì)企業(yè)借機(jī)上市,而不知情的投資者則可能會因此蒙受損失。
興登堡研究聲稱,Clover Health便是這樣一家劣質(zhì)企業(yè)。
興登堡研究在報告中寫道:”雖然查馬斯在不遺余力地打造自己恪盡職守、深諳華爾街內(nèi)幕的形象,但經(jīng)過4個月的調(diào)查,我們還是發(fā)現(xiàn),Clover Health本身便是建立在謊言之上,并且為了誤導(dǎo)客戶、投資者、客戶和醫(yī)務(wù)人員,該公司不惜利用一切機(jī)會挑戰(zhàn)規(guī)則底線甚至違反規(guī)則。”(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:梁宇
審校:夏林
上周,在GameStop史詩一般的上漲過程中,做空機(jī)構(gòu)遭受重創(chuàng),行業(yè)資深人士、香櫞研究公司創(chuàng)始人安德魯?萊福特甚至因此放棄了高風(fēng)險的賣空行為。
但現(xiàn)在就斷定空頭已經(jīng)出局依然為時尚早。
周四,做空研究機(jī)構(gòu)興登堡研究(Hindenburg Research)發(fā)布了一份重磅報告,矛頭直指知名風(fēng)險投資者、“特殊目的收購公司(SPAC)”之王查瑪斯?帕里哈皮迪亞參與投資的健康科技初創(chuàng)公司Clover Health。被該健康保險公司列作投資者的還包括谷歌母公司Alphabet,前總統(tǒng)克林頓之女切爾西?克林頓則是該公司的董事會成員。
去年,興登堡研究因踢爆電動汽車初創(chuàng)企業(yè)尼古拉而聲名鵲起,這一次,該機(jī)構(gòu)則將做空的矛頭指向了Clover Health,指控該公司在上月的SPAC上市交易準(zhǔn)備階段“與其來自華爾街的名人推手查瑪斯?帕里哈皮迪亞在該公司業(yè)務(wù)的許多關(guān)鍵問題上誤導(dǎo)了投資者。”
具體而言,該報告指控Clover Health未向投資者披露“其商業(yè)模式,也未向投資者披露所謂的‘Clover Assistant’軟件服務(wù)正在接受美國司法部調(diào)查的事實,根據(jù)我們獲得的民事調(diào)查協(xié)查要求(Civil Investigative Demand,類似于傳票),相關(guān)調(diào)查至少涉及12項問題,包括回扣問題、營銷方式、未披露第三方交易等等。”
興登堡報告于2月5日股市開盤前約一小時發(fā)布,甫一開盤,Clover Health股價應(yīng)聲而落,大跌15%,隨后有所回升。
在被《財富》問及興登堡報告中的指控時,Clover Health表示將在“未來幾個小時內(nèi)”發(fā)表評論。而帕里哈皮迪亞的發(fā)言人則并未回應(yīng)《財富》的置評請求。
@查瑪斯
在散戶投資者、特別是Reddit族群眼中,帕里哈皮迪亞儼然是像“人民英雄”一般的存在。不出所料,Clover Health的投資者及股票觀察人士周四紛紛在Twitter上敦促帕里哈皮迪亞發(fā)表自己的觀點,如此做法顯然是為了給直線下跌的股價提供支撐。他們還試圖爭取其他日內(nèi)交易者的支持,希望后者買入該公司股票,而這么做顯然是為了引發(fā)股價反彈,擠出空頭。
不過這種策略也有一個很嚴(yán)重的問題,那就是興登堡研究目前并未參與Clover Health股票的交易。
興登堡研究在報告中寫道:“我們認(rèn)為,在當(dāng)前的市場環(huán)境中,讓民眾了解做空機(jī)構(gòu)在揭露欺詐和公司瀆職方面所扮演的角色更為重要,因而我們并未參與Clover Health的股票交易,既未做多也未做空。”該機(jī)構(gòu)所傳達(dá)出的信息是:在當(dāng)前這樣一個散戶投資者與做空投資者彼此充滿敵意的環(huán)境中,興登堡研究更愿意扮演“吹哨人”的角色,而不是加倉進(jìn)場,賺取收益。
興登堡研究的突然襲擊讓許多Twitter用戶大受震動。一位Twitter用戶在興登堡研究有關(guān)該報告的推文下回復(fù)到:“你們說自己并未參與Clover Health股票的交易,那你們花這么多錢和時間做這件事的動機(jī)是什么?”
Clover Health去年秋季被帕里哈皮迪亞旗下的特殊目的收購公司Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings III收購,今年1月8日,仍處于虧損狀態(tài)的Clover Health成功上市,就此成為帕里哈皮迪亞旗下第三家通過特殊并購成功上市的公司。
支持弱者
作為Facebook的前任高管和持續(xù)投資者,帕里哈皮迪亞已成為支持散戶投資者的重要代表,他曾多次提醒自己在Twitter上的120萬粉絲應(yīng)當(dāng)對華爾街保持警惕。他還利用自己的平臺多次對短線交易者的另一個死敵——做空機(jī)構(gòu)發(fā)起進(jìn)攻。
巴菲特曾說:在市場上,時機(jī)不重要,時間才重要。
隨著個人持有股票時間的增長,資本利得稅應(yīng)當(dāng)降低,每年降低20%,持有5年后降至0%。以此對長期投資進(jìn)行激勵。
— Chamath Palihapitiya (@chamath) 2021年1月31日
在上周四的報告中,興登堡指出,在許多地方,該公司與帕里哈皮迪亞擁有相同的理念,報告中寫道:
“對于查馬斯的一些觀點,我們完全贊同:1.華爾街是一個腐敗、齷齪的地方……2.市場一出現(xiàn)問題華爾街的銀行家和高管就會跳出來呼吁救助和監(jiān)管,只想著通過疏通關(guān)系牟取利益……3.人民不應(yīng)受到審查。”
但興登堡研究創(chuàng)始人內(nèi)森?安德森并不贊同帕里哈皮迪亞對特殊目的收購公司價值的看法。
特殊目的收購公司由于受到的監(jiān)管相對較少,已逐漸成為牛市中快速籌集大筆資金的首選途徑。據(jù)高盛介紹,在去年創(chuàng)下全新記錄之后,今年迄今為止,特殊目的收購公司的IPO數(shù)量和募資金額都已超過傳統(tǒng)IPO。高盛在最近的一份研究報告中寫道,“2021年前三周,新上SPAC IPO項目共56個,共募集資金160億美元,而傳統(tǒng)IPO僅為9個,共籌集資金約40億美元。”
去年安德森曾對《財富》表示,他擔(dān)心這股SPAC熱潮或許會使劣質(zhì)企業(yè)借機(jī)上市,而不知情的投資者則可能會因此蒙受損失。
興登堡研究聲稱,Clover Health便是這樣一家劣質(zhì)企業(yè)。
興登堡研究在報告中寫道:”雖然查馬斯在不遺余力地打造自己恪盡職守、深諳華爾街內(nèi)幕的形象,但經(jīng)過4個月的調(diào)查,我們還是發(fā)現(xiàn),Clover Health本身便是建立在謊言之上,并且為了誤導(dǎo)客戶、投資者、客戶和醫(yī)務(wù)人員,該公司不惜利用一切機(jī)會挑戰(zhàn)規(guī)則底線甚至違反規(guī)則。”(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:梁宇
審校:夏林
Short-sellers took a beating in last week’s epic GameStop rally, resulting in one of the elder statesmen of the trade, Andrew Left of Citron Research, stepping away from the high-risk practice of betting against stocks.
But don’t count the shorts out just yet.
On Thursday, short-activist research firm Hindenburg Research published a blistering report targeting Clover Health, the health-tech startup backed by prominent venture capitalist and so-called King of SPACs, Chamath Palihapitiya. The health insurer also counts Google parent Alphabet as an investor; Chelsea Clinton sits on the board.
Hindenburg, best known for its takedown last year of EV startup Nikola, charges Clover Health “and its Wall Street celebrity promoter, Chamath Palihapitiya, misled investors about critical aspects of Clover’s business in the run-up to the company’s SPAC go-public transaction last month.”
Specifically, the report accuses the Nasdaq-listed Clover Health (ticker: CLOV) of failing to disclose “that its business model and its software offering, called the Clover Assistant, are under active investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ), which is investigating at least 12 issues ranging from kickbacks to marketing practices to undisclosed third-party deals, according to a Civil Investigative Demand (similar to a subpoena) we obtained.”
Shares in Clover Health fell 15% at the open of trading today, about an hour after the Hindenburg report went public, before recovering some.
Asked by Fortune to address the allegations in the report, Clover Health said it would provide a comment “in the next few hours.” A spokesperson for Palihapitiya, meanwhile, did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment.
@Chamath
Palihapitiya has become something of a populist hero to retail investors, particularly the Reddit brigade. Sure enough, Clover Health investors and stock watchers took to Twitter on Thursday to urge Palihapitiya to give his side of the story, ostensibly to support the stock price amid a free fall. They also sought to martial investor support from fellow day traders to buy into the stock, evidently to trigger a rally, and squeeze out the shorts.
There was one big problem with that tactic: Hindenburg has zero exposure to Clover Health at the moment.
“We have no position (short or long) in Clover Health because we think in this moment for public markets, it is more important for people to understand the role short sellers play in exposing fraud and corporate malfeasance,” Hindenburg wrote in the report. The point: In this climate of hostility between retail investors and the short investor community, Hindenburg would rather send a message than pad out its portfolio.
That curveball seemed to unsettle some of the Twitter masses. “You state you have no position in $CLOV,” one Twitter user replied to Hindenburg’s tweet about the report. “What is your motivation to put so much money and time into such a report?”
The loss-making Clover Health went public on Jan. 8. after the company was acquired by Palihapitiya’s special purpose acquisition company, Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings III last autumn. Clover Health is the third of Palihapitiya’s SPACs to go public.
Supporting the little guy
Palihapitiya, the former Facebook executive and serial investor, has emerged as a prominent voice in support of retail investors, repeatedly warning his 1.2 million Twitter followers that they are right to be wary of Wall Street. He’s also used his platform to go on the offensive against short-sellers, another target of day traders’ ire.
Buffett once said: It’s not about timing the market, it’s about time in market.?
There should be a step down in capital gains tax for individuals as they hold stocks. 20% per year decrease in cap gains tax. 0% after a five year hold period. Incentivize long term behavior.
— Chamath Palihapitiya (@chamath) January 31, 2021
In Thursday’s report, Hindenburg pointed out in numerous places where it shares the same philosophy as Palihapitiya, writing:
“Chamath has expressed views we wholeheartedly agree with: 1. Wall Street is a corrupt cesspool…2. When things go south, bankers and executives cry for bailouts and regulation to stack the deck…3. People should not be censored.”
Where Palihapitiya and Hindenburg founder Nathan Anderson remain far apart is on the value of SPACs.
Lesser-scrutinized SPACs have become the favored vehicle to raise big money on the quick in a bull market. According to Goldman Sachs, SPACs have outnumbered traditional IPOs in both number and heft so far this year—that’s after a record 2020. “During the first three weeks of 2021,” Goldman wrote in a recent research note, “SPAC IPO proceeds have totaled $16 billion across 56 new SPAC IPOs while just $4 billion was raised across nine traditional IPOs.”
Anderson told Fortune last year he worries that the billions raised in the SPAC boom could create an investment climate where dodgy businesses go public and unwitting investors get burned.
Hindenburg alleges one such company is Clover Health.
“While Chamath has seemingly taken every opportunity available to present himself as a beacon of rigorous due diligence and Wall Street know-how, our 4-month investigation led us to conclude that Clover Health’s culture is rooted in deception and has taken every opportunity to push or break the rules to mislead its customers, investors, and Medicare,” Hindenburg writes.