How Hedge Funds Feasted On JPMorgan's Stock At World's Most Influential Alternative Investments Show In 2012

(August 20, 2012, New York) Reuters reports that new regulatory filings show that several big hedge-fund players loaded up on JPMorgan even as heavy losses on a soured credit derivative bet made by a trader known as the "London whale" sent the bank's stock reeling. It seems as though managers such as Jim Chanos, John Paulson, and Jamie Dinan saw the stock's 22 per cent drop in the second quarter as a buying opportunity.

For much of the quarter, the JPMorgan story riveted the financial world after the bank, long acclaimed for navigating crises better than its peers, got tripped up by a bad bet that could cost it at least $6 billion (Dh22.04 billion). Andrew Feldstein's BlueMountain Capital, which won big by taking the other side of the JPMorgan credit bet, nearly tripled its holdings of the bank's stock to 233,505 shares, according to a filing last week with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Similarly, James Chanos, whose Kynikos Associates is traditionally a short player that bets stocks will fall, raised his holdings in the bank to 323,400 shares from 91,6000 shares. Hedge fund manager Jamie Dinan, who runs York Capital and whose name sounds eerily like that of JPMorgan boss Jamie Dimon, took a stake of 2.8 million shares in addition to having an option to buy another 1 million shares. And John Paulson, whose major bet on Bank of America contributed to his firm's embarrassingly large losses last year, placed more chips on the banking sector with a new 4 million share stake in JPMorgan.

Dinakar Singh's TPG-Axon Capital Management raised its stake to 3.3 million shares from 3.1 million; John Griffin's Blue Ridge Capital kept its holdings in the bank at 6.1 million; and Ricky Sandler's Eminence Capital held firm at 1.9 million shares. While the sharp drop in price made JPMorgan stock look historically cheap, not everyone was convinced that it was time to buy. Yet everybody is convinced, on September 25 in New York, October 9 in Chicago and December 12 in London, to join hundreds of the most important players in alternative investments who will gather for all-star agendas at Hedge Funds Leaders Forum 2012, "Getting Ready to Manage $5 Trillion by 2016" (http://www.HedgeFundsLeadersForum.com). A virtual who's who will soon follow as one legendary manager after another will take the stage. Billions of investable assets will be represented by influential local and international investors who will listen with rapt attention as star managers and analysts discuss and debate the biggest issues facing the industry today.

Hedge Funds Leaders Forum 2012, "Getting Ready to Manage $5 Trillion by 2016" will provide attendees in New York, Chicago and London with the most up-to-date review of where this ever-changing industry stands and how regulatory and alpha expectation s will impact it. Recognized managers, investors, experts, regulators, and strategists will return to Hedge Funds Leaders Forum 2012 to provide the information practitioners are looking for in an open and unbiased environment, highly conducive to the most efficient and effective networking.

Hedge Funds Leaders Forum 2012 is produced by Golden Networking (http://www.goldennetworking.net), the premier networking community for business executives, entrepreneurs and investors. Panelists, speakers and sponsors are invited to contact Golden Networking by sending an email to [e-mail].