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Fooling Some of the People All of the Time
Book

Fooling Some of the People All of the Time

A Long Short Story

Wiley, 2008 más...


Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative

Recommendation

Call hedge fund manager and author David Einhorn a glutton for punishment. In 2002, he first became skeptical of Allied Capital, a small business lender based in Washington, D.C. He shorted the stock, publicly criticized the company and earned the enmity of its management. Over the next six years, Einhorn feuded with Allied, growing increasingly outraged over what he considered bogus accounting. He repeatedly brought his findings to the attention of regulators and reporters, with little result. For years, Allied shares held steady or gradually rose. It wasn’t until after this book was published in 2008 that Allied stock cratered. Einhorn’s tale of his battle with Allied is often riveting, although at times he veers into levels of detail only a forensic accountant could appreciate. Still, getAbstract recommends the book to investors seeking an inside look at high-level chicanery, a short seller’s strategy and a Wall Street war story.

Take-Aways

  • Allied Capital is a business development company that originates Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. It has been publicly traded since 1960.
  • Hedge fund manager David Einhorn sold Allied shares short in 2002, after research and interviews with its officials convinced him it engaged in accounting fraud.
  • Instead of carrying loans and portfolio companies at their market value, Allied ignored key factors, such as bankruptcy filings, when valuing such assets.

About the Author

David Einhorn is president and founder of Greenlight Capital, a long-short hedge fund launched in 1996 that has earned returns of more than 25% a year for its partners.


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