Hedge Fund

Investor Redemptions in Legion Strategies from Skybridge Capital Are Suspended

Published on: August 26, 2022 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Broker-Dealers May Have Not Fully Apprised Hedge Fund Investors of the Risks

According to Bloomberg, sources report that on July 18, 2022, Legion Strategies suspended investor redemptions. The hedge fund is managed by Anthony Scaramucci’s Skybridge Capital.

Scaramucci was a communications director for former US President Trump for eleven days in July 2017. His Skybridge Capital is an SEC-registered investment adviser and asset manager that, as of the end of June 2022, was overseeing about $2.5B, including more than $800M in digital assets.

GME, AMC, BB and Other High Flying Stock Losses

Published on: January 29, 2021 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

Retail Investors Make Stock Market History

The week of January 25, 2021, saw a remarkable market event where retail investors bid up the price of a handful of stocks in an attempt to force a “short-squeeze” on major Wall Street hedge funds. When an investor “shorts” a stock, which is a bet the stock is going to go down in price, the investor borrows the shares and then sells them at the existing price. If the share price goes down, the investors will “cover” the short by buying at the lower price to return the borrowed shares, capturing the difference between what the investor sold the shares at and the cost to buy the shares back in order to return them. Conversely, if the stock price goes up, the investor has to buy the shares at a high price than what the investor received when they were sold in order to return the borrowed share and loses the difference on the short play.

When shorting a stock, since the investor does not own the stock, the investor’s position is done on margin, that is, using credit from the brokerage firm. As the value of the stock increases, the margin balance increases. In such a situation, an investor can receive a “margin call”, where the brokerage firm forces the investor to close the position. In a margin call from a short position, that means forcing the investor to buy the stock, regardless of the price, which is when there is this short-squeeze.

UBS To Nominate Executive from BlueMountain Hedge Fund That Challenged Puerto Rico Law on Debt Restructuring to Its Board

Published on: December 17, 2014 | by Shepherd Smith Edwards & Kantas, LLP

UBS, AG (UBS) says that it intends to nominate BlueMountain Capital Management Executive Jes Staley to its board in May. Staley formerly served as a JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) executive.

In a statement, UBS Chairman Axel Weber said that Staley is perfect for the role due to his professional expertise from working in global banking leadership roles for three decades. However, that may not be the only reason.

Earlier this year, BlueMountain, which is a New York-based hedge fund, joined a legal challenge against a law that would let some of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico’s agencies restructure their massive debt. UBS Puerto Rico (UBS-PR) is one of the banks accused of inappropriately placing clients’ money into closed-end funds that had high exposure to Puerto Rico municipal bonds.