Tag: Yahoo Finance

Fresh Blow to Hedge Funds as Software Darlings Start to Crumble

(Bloomberg) -- A favorite strategy of hedge funds that splits technology stocks into hardware and software makers has been sputtering for months. It finally blew up.The smart money piled into software shares such as Microsoft and Atlassian while cutting stakes in the likes of AMD and Intel for almost two years. The split created a dichotomy in exposure not seen since at least 2010, according to primary brokerage data from Morgan Stanley. Avoiding chips has burned fund managers since January as the group rallied 38%. And now, the outsize bet on software firms has stopped working, with some erstwhile high-flyers mired in declines exceeding 20%.The downturn in software stocks, particularly those focused on areas with high growth potential like the cloud or workplace productivity, is part of a trend that’s seen investors grow reluctant to pay high valuations for companies that aren’t yet profitable. The bet against chipmakers was partly predicated...

Billionaire Who Failed to Buy Metro Bets on Europe’s TV Business

(Bloomberg) -- Daniel Kretinsky, who owns a $7.8 billion Czech energy conglomerate, bought a minority stake in a leading German entertainment company in a contrarian bet on the future of European television industry.The billionaire is the largest shareholder in Czech Media Invest, which has bought about 4.1% in ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE, according to a statement late Friday. It’s the first step in CMI’s new strategy to purchase minority shareholdings in the continent’s media companies.The group, which owns several Czech news publications as well as a stake in French newspaper Le Monde, is diversifying into the nationwide television business, which it sees as able to compete alongside digital platforms to be the dominant advertising format.“We do not share the skepticism held by the majority of the market as seen through the decline in the valuations of several European television groups,” CMI board member Branislav Miskovic said in the statement.Kretinsky, with an estimated...

China's indebted HNA group names chairman's son as president: Caixin

China's indebted HNA Group has appointed its chairman's son as president as part of business restructuring at the finance-to-aviation conglomerate, Chinese financial magazine Caixin reported on its website on Saturday. Chen Xiaofeng, son of HNA Chairman Chen Feng, has been appointed president of the group, replacing Zhang Ling, according to Caixin. HNA's official website named Chen Xiaofeng as president, as well as a member of the board....