As a matter of course Manuel Asensio's brand of conflict-free investor advocacy questions media's sources and their treatment of company "news" and regulatory issues. This dynamic is reflected in articles dealing with specific companies and Manuel Asensio's work methods in general. We view media bias as a foregone conclusion. One example of bias is that media refers to investors engaged in independent critical research of statements made by public companies as "short sellers." The group of quotes below were selected to help the reader understand the media's role in securities markets and how this role affects its reporting on individuals engaged in short selling. Readers should consider the above when reading any article about a public company or investment firm and certainly while reading any of the articles that contains treatment of contrarian opinions.
Winstar [...] failed to make an interest payment on some debt, shortly before it fell into bankruptcy, as Manuel Asensio predicted.
Charles Gasparino Blood on the Street Don’t sell this short-seller short. Bethany McLean Fortune Manuel Asensio is every investor's best friend [...] his firm scours the investment world [...] in the process, Manuel Asensio has uncovered numerous cases of outright fraud. Christopher Mayer Ludwig van Mises Institute and Indi Community News So when will individual investors wise up […] when they start paying attention to people like Manuel Asensio. Eric Winig Washington Business Journal Manuel Asensio provides sound economic arguments for loosening the regulatory constraints on short selling... Martin S. Fridson, Editor Financial Analyst Journal While most UK investors are unlikely to be familiar with [Asensio's] work they might be aware of its results. Duncan Hughes Financial Times Diana has gone from a red-hot stock to little more than all the nasty things Manuel Asensio said the company was when he made a multi-million-dollar bet against it. Peter Kendall The Business Journal The current uproar over the Dreyfus manager erupted when Manuel Asensio, a New York investor who specializes in short selling, accused Dreyfus of [....] wrongful utilization of investor's money. Edward Wyatt The New York Times Jack Grubman dismissed the work of Manuel Asensio, a well-known shortseller who predicted, almost to the day, Winstar's demise, as someone who 'lacks an understanding of the CLEC industry.' Asensio, it turns out, understood this industry far better than Grubman. James J. Cramer TheStreet.com Short-sellers play a valuable role in the market....certainly the record of Manuel Asensio, perhaps the most notorious of short-sellers, testifies to that. James Surowiecki New York Magazine [Asensio] has gained prominence for his public war of words with Diana Corp.-- a war that he has clearly won, with Diana’s shares plummeting 97% over the 12 months. Gary Weiss BusinessWeek Manuel Asensio casts a long shadow on Wall Street [...] there is little question that Mr. Manuel Asensio is intent on his work. Amanda Lang Financial Post Few doubt that Manuel Asensio is battle tested. Craig Karmin The New Republic Manuel Asensio has a remarkedly strong record in picking shorts. [....] For that talent, one company has called him 'one of the world's best-known short sellers.' David A. Geracioti Investing Guru Registered Rep Manuel Asensio is a cult figure among some investors....his unmatched six-year record for spotting over hyped and fraudulent stocks, makes him very unpopular on Wall Street. Publishers Weekly Everyone agrees [Asensio] gets results. Thor Valdmanis USA Today Manuel Asensio doesn't bet often. But when he does, it's wise to pay attention. Paul Kaihla eCompany Now Even following the recent [92%] decline in VeriSign's stock price, famed short-seller Manuel Asensio isn't declaring victory. The New York investor continues to have a short position [...] Peter Loftus The Wall Street Journal Manuel Asensio, a New York short-seller [...] is taking on the granddaddy of stock buyers: Fidelity Investments. Beth Healey Boston Herald Manuel Asensio has produced perhaps the best public record of stock calls in the business. Zeke Ashton & Whitney Tilson TheMotleyFool.com Along with other journalists, I have made use of Manuel Asensio's materials, though not without checking it first. When I did, it turned out to be quite reliable. John Dizard Financial Times For the better part of the past decade Manuel Asensio's made his living by taking a contrarian stance on stocks that everyone else seems to love. Bethany McLean Fortune Manuel Asensio, a meticulous researcher. Eric Reguly The Globe and Mail Manuel Asensio's record for spotting dubious and overpriced enterprises is simply unmatched ... The Motley Fool [Asensio] concluded with a prediction that Turbodyne stock would fall below $1 a share. (It fell to a $0.01 low.) Benjamin Mark Cole Los Angeles Times [Asensio] borrows lots of stock and sells it high. When the price falls, he buys the stock back, returns it to the owner and counts his winnings. Most of those stocks have plummeted. Several companies have gone bankrupt or been delisted. L. Stuart Dinzen Inquirer Magazine, Philadelphia Inquirer Despite signing a lucrative marketing deal with [Schering-Plough], Zonagen has seen its stock price tumble 25% over the last two weeks after receiving a negative report from [Asensio]. (The stock subsequently fell below $2.) Jennifer Darwin Houston Business Journal The people at Schering-Plough have forgotten more about drug development and regulatory strategy that this guy Manuel Asensio will ever know. Dan Ramsey, drug analyst as quoted about Schering’s Vasomax investment. (Schering failed to get Vasomax approved and lost its entire investment.) Jennifer Darwin Houston Business Journal Manuel Asensio has issued numerous reports since last year assailing Network Solutions from all angles and disputing the research conclusions of analysts like Prudential Securities’ Paul Merenbloom -- who along with every other analyst except Mr. Manuel Asensio, has rated the the company a Buy or Strong Buy. Luc Hatlestad Red Herring The hottest bear to date: Manuel Asensio...BioTime is down 55% since January. Ronald Boone, Jr. and Robert J. Sherwood Forbes "There is a serious discrepancy in the marketplace” said Manuel Asensio, who has sold Nuance shares short. (The stock fell 98%.) Alex Berenson The New York Times Mr. Manuel Asensio warned in a September article in this newspaper that ErgoBilt faced problems. He views “it as a terminal short,” meaning he believes that stock will soon be worth nothing. (ErgoBilt stock soon became worthless.) Jonathan Weil The Wall Street Journal Asensio’s work is well-reputed. John Westergaard The Weekly Interpreter Mr. Manuel Asensio […] is known as being the most famous Short Seller on Wall Street. Michael Baumann and Hank Reimer Wirtschaftswoche Manuel Asensio and his team of analysts have made it to their passion to detect fraud in the securities market Euro am Sonntag Manuel Asensio’s zest for battle really sets him apart. Brett Nelson Forbes [Asensio] infuriates company management, particularly where Asensio has determined that the company’s products do not work Washington UPI Instead of playing the game with his cards to his chest, [Asensio] finds flagrant instances of overvaluation and lays his cards out of the table when the betting is at its peak. Peter Kendall Business Journal Manuel Asensio is on the warpath. One of the leading short sellers on Wall Street, he's on the phone calling lawyers, editors, public officials--anyone who will listen--to his complaint about VeriSign. . . The issue is pretty obscure and Manuel Asensio is a stock trader, not a bureaucrat, so why does he care? He has a short position. Dan Ackman Forbes.com Playing a pivotal role in the downfall of Turbodyne was the well-know New York short trader Manuel Asensio, who released a bluntly worded report Benjamin Mark Cole Los Angeles Times Manuel Asensio, a highly regarded and usually laser-accurate short seller. George Gutowski The Energy Stock Blog Author of Financial Self-Defense for Investors Manuel Asensio published "well-researched and insightful attacks" on NVEC fundamentals. Christopher Byron The New York Post Manuel Asensio a “prominent and successful short seller”. Christopher Faille Lipper HedgeWorld Manuel Asensio is an investor, hedge fund manager, and investors' activist. He earned his reputation in the 1990s through the practice of short selling the stock of companies he believed were involved in deceiving the public. Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia Pegasus's 86% price decline "coincides with the publication of 11 negative research notes from July through August by well-known short-seller Manuel Asensio." Liz Moyer Forbes |