1. Omnitech's Avatar
    Another excellent article by Michael Collins on Seeking Alpha, as usual drilling holes in the spinmeisters fraudulent market manipulation tactics.

    The lively comment section is awash in incredulous longtime investors who repeatedly state that they have never seen such an irresponsible financial press that keeps looking the other way (or overtly supports) all this questionable "news coverage" on the markets.

    I would encourage you all to go read the article at the original location since Michael probably gets remunerated based on his readership there.

    Did Barron's Just Pull A Forbes On BlackBerry? - Seeking Alpha


    For those who have not yet signed up for a free account there, see below:


    Did Barron's Just Pull A Forbes On BlackBerry?

    Apr 26 2013, 07:42 | 123 comments | about: BBRY

    Disclosure: I am long BBRY. (More...)

    Today, in the middle of a progressive short squeeze for BlackBerry (BBRY), rampant selling appeared out of nowhere to drive the stock price down. What was the awful news? No one knew.

    Bear raids are illegal. Selling stock for the sole purpose of driving the price is outright manipulation and a banned activity in most capital markets. Basically, if you are going to sell the hell out of BlackBerry, you need a reason to do it, otherwise you could get investigated. You need a cover story.

    Shorts - Using Obscure Analyst and Tech Media Editors for 'Cover'

    I wrote an article for Seeking Alpha last February that described in detail how this fraud is perpetrated "BlackBerry And Forbes: Battleground Stocks And Headline Risks". In this article, I showed you the symbiotic relationship between Brian Blair of Wedge Partners and Eric Savitz at Forbes (Savitz's since left Forbes). In that article I showed you, without any doubt, how Blair had expressed an 'opinion' and Savitz turned that into a horror headline that was used to "paint" BlackBerry during a bear raid. Suddenly, Brian Blair's 'opinion' became a statement of fact courtesy of Forbes.

    You see, shorts cannot just sell out of the blue to cause a panic for no reason; that would be a bear raid. As a workaround, the shorts in the BlackBerry battle use small, lesser known, analysts as their PR flack, their cannon fodder. They are not really analysts. Yet why is it that when Brian Blair puts out a report, it gets picked up used to make helter-skelter Halloween headlines� out of what are simply his opinions! Yesterday's horror was nothing but his 'estimates' again:

    "We believe BlackBerry has trimmed their production expectations for the Z10 for the remainder of calendar year 2013. We estimate that the company may have trimmed Z10 production units by 4-6 million units for the year. If accurate..."

    This is just a replay of last month's Forbes fiasco but with Barron's tech desk doing the heavy lifting through Tiernan Ray. (Forbes has revamped its editorial tone since Savitz left and these gents can't find much air time there). Ray just re-printed large quotes in their entirety without caring to comment or even think about what he was doing. In fact, he never questioned the source of the information. Compare Barron's coverage to Bloomberg's coverage (Professional journalists):

    "The company may have cut 4 million to 6 million units, Brian Blair, a Wedge Partners analyst, said today in a note, without saying where he got the information."

    Those journalists pointed out quite clearly that there was no stated fact behind these "thoughts" conjured up by Wedge Partners. How a little known analyst can conjure up a "thought" and turn it into a fact that, with Barron's help, wipes hundreds of millions of dollars in market cap from BlackBerry is beyond belief. Only in America can such journalism still exist.

    The BlackBerry shorts feed the journalist who, knowingly or not, help scare people and provide a "cover" for the bear raid. Tiernan Ray's second quoted analyst is a short favourite and a man I've pursued with great success in the UK: Pacific Crest's James Faucette.

    The UK Guardian newspaper ran a story largely quoting James Faucette concerning BlackBerry's failing to pass intelligence services new security checks.

    http://m.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/mar/19/blackberry-software-not-safe-enough-government-work

    Oh I'm sorry, is the link broken? That's because the story was a sham. The title misled and let people believe BlackBerry had failed a test, when in fact the test had been revamped and scheduled for summer 2013. So yes, while it was true that BlackBerry was not certified for the new system, it had not failed as no one had passed. Hilarious! I called the UK Government Security desk that morning and managed to have them put out a statement in an hour refuting this. They did it and I shopped that to The Guardian and threatened them with a Press Complaint if they didn't pull the story. They pulled it immediately after I told them about Faucette and the pain of sister newspaper the UK Telegraph was already going through because of another of James Faucette great stories�

    Oh yes. Him again. Remember the "UK Price BlackBerry Slashing Story"? Well I've had a bit of back and forth and the Telegraph has already largely redacted the story but refuse to retract it. Now it's going to a formal inquiry. (Please feel free to contact the UK press complaints office and voice your support here.) The only defence I seem to have gotten from the Telegraph legal department was that it was not their story as they were just working off a story from�you guessed it�Tiernan Ray at Barron's! Wunderbar!

    The question that needs to be asked now is who is organizing such a well-oiled PR machine? Who has the power and reach to mount such an attack?

    Rumours have Suggested Maverick Capital amongst the Prominent Shorts; I Think It's Not True, Here's Why:

    As a writer on SA, I hear lots of rumours. Currently speculation and rumours have only conjured up one name, Maverick Capital run by Lee Ainslie III. Now he is one of the smartest and shrewdest investors out there and he has amassed $10B Fund. Pas mal? I'm sure he is not the gentleman behind the short position here.

    Maverick would certainly refute such innuendo. This hedge fund and its investors are from such a high pedigree that they would never willingly be associated in the activity above. There are many shorts, who knows who has organized this media machine? Maybe Maverick will reassure their investor base that they are not short BBRY and that these rumours are false? Lee is one of the most admired investors in the world and would never be associated with this trade.

    What Should Investors Do Here?

    1. You are getting a heavily discounted and manipulated stock at sub $15 that, without the shorts stepping on it, would be about $18 now. Lucky you.
    2. Understand that just because an article is posted online in a WSJ property like Barron's, it doesn't mean it's based on one iota of fact or truth, as so many financial and tech editors have proven to be lazy, or outright misleading.
    3. Protect yourself against the media. Think for yourself and question 'authority.'


    Additional disclosure: I am fed up with unfettered manipulation and market abuse
    THBW, anon4226395, spike12 and 4 others like this.
    04-26-13 02:23 PM
  2. Shanerredflag's Avatar
    Here is another by Mike that just released, (and causing the stock to rocket up):


    BlackBerry Sells Out In 90 Minutes At Selfridges
    Apr 26 2013, 14:33 | 54 comments | about: BBRY
    Disclosure: I am long BBRY. (More...)

    Hoping to get a sense of the excitement behind the launch of BlackBerry's (BBRY) flagship product, the Q10, I went to the high-end UK department store Selfridges at 9:00 a.m. and then again this afternoon.

    What You Need to Know:

    Upon arriving, there were lots of exporters buying 20+ units each. They had suitcases, and one used the suitcase to block people in the escalator so his pal could be first to the counter. Carphone Warehouse had broken customers out into two lines -- single unit buyers like me and "multi-unit" buyers.

    The Set-Up

    Carphone Warehouse is the highest selling retail location in the UK. It has about 6 massive BlackBerry retail booths, fully staffed. It is basically BlackBerry land. I managed to overhear that it had launched with 2000 units that morning. The staff at CPW is leagues above those found at carrier stores as far as training and selling aptitude.

    I just think the independent retailers know how to sell better. The manager at this location is a young girl, Joilty, and she is simply top notch at handling what looked like an exhaustive day on the selling floor. They were bringing phones up in baskets, hundreds at a time. At 3:00 p.m., without phones left, they still had lines in the multi-buyer section and individual buyers' section. People were just trying to secure stock for tomorrow.

    CarphoneWarehouse Selfridges is a veritable moulinex "la machine" of selling:

    They blew out 2000 units in the first 90 minutes
    That's 22.2 phones per minute
    That's one mean machine at Selfridges
    I asked the manager how this compared to the Z10 and she giggled, rolling her eyes and raising her arm in the air skyward, saying it was "leagues beyond anything they had seen." I couldn't get numbers out of her and didn't think it was nice to press further.

    A Note to Those Looking at Samsung:

    According to the leader of one group of buyers, Samsung Galaxy S4 pricing in Dubai had dropped by 110GBP to 399 for the Galaxy S4. He could not believe it. He was shell-shocked. These guys, who buy tons of stock at full retail, take on huge risk and know what they can and can't sell. He won't be buying the S4. This data point needs to be looked into further.

    Conclusion:

    Wow! Looks like BlackBerry isn't DOA as Pacific Crest claimed. I honestly have not seen this much excitement since the iPhone 1 or 2. This bodes extremely well for BlackBerry. BlackBerry is selling into 2+ years of pent-up demand, while iPhone and Samsung (SSNLF.PK) are selling into some serious hardware upgrade fatigue. I'd rather be long BlackBerry today, short Samsung, out of Apple (AAPL). Enjoy the pictures below.
    theclipart, tstrike34 and kbz1960 like this.
    04-26-13 02:26 PM
  3. Omnitech's Avatar
    Here is another by Mike that just released, (and causing the stock to rocket up):

    BlackBerry Sells Out In 90 Minutes At Selfridges


    Just wanted to linkify that so people can easily go to the original site.

    One comment: While that is certainly good news and balances a lot of the usual negativity, bear in mind that the devices sold in the UK have a particular characteristic that probably makes them slightly more appealing to bulk buyers: they are typically similiar or identical to the models sold in much of the rest of the world (Asia, Middle East, Canada, South America, Africa etc) so there's more impetus for speculators to buy them up and sell them elsewhere in markets that won't get the devices for a while.

    Whereas ie a STL100-4 version of the Z10 is pretty much worthless outside of Verizon's target customer-base, since it won't connect to most non-VZW 4G networks, and some of the 3G ones too.
    kbz1960 and spike12 like this.
    04-26-13 03:29 PM
  4. Omnitech's Avatar
    ...so there's more impetus for speculators to buy them up and sell them elsewhere in markets that won't get the devices for a while.

    One of the commenters on the CB blog post about the Selfridges sellout said that customers were limited to 2-3 devices each, so perhaps there may not have been as many 'speculator' purchases there as I suspected.
    Shanerredflag likes this.
    04-26-13 05:24 PM
  5. Shanerredflag's Avatar
    BlackBerry Sells Out In 90 Minutes At Selfridges


    Just wanted to linkify that so people can easily go to the original site.

    One comment: While that is certainly good news and balances a lot of the usual negativity, bear in mind that the devices sold in the UK have a particular characteristic that probably makes them slightly more appealing to bulk buyers: they are typically similiar or identical to the models sold in much of the rest of the world (Asia, Middle East, Canada, South America, Africa etc) so there's more impetus for speculators to buy them up and sell them elsewhere in markets that won't get the devices for a while.

    Whereas ie a STL100-4 version of the Z10 is pretty much worthless outside of Verizon's target customer-base, since it won't connect to most non-VZW 4G networks, and some of the 3G ones too.
    True...I feel for you folks on Verizon, not sure why they are bucking the rest of the world.
    04-26-13 06:24 PM
  6. Dapper37's Avatar
    Hats off the Mike C. That guy is responsible for the positive end in today's trade on BBRY IMO.
    Hes a one man wreaking crew for the Wallstreet frauds!

    Posted via CB10
    04-26-13 08:47 PM
  7. mikeycollins13's Avatar
    One of the commenters on the CB blog post about the Selfridges sellout said that customers were limited to 2-3 devices each, so perhaps there may not have been as many 'speculator' purchases there as I suspected.

    That is categorically false. They had two lines, one for guys like me buying one or two, and one for people buying 10 or more. You can see it in the pics.

    Speculators are fine. Its an indication of pent up demand here.
    04-26-13 09:34 PM
  8. roydion78's Avatar
    If so, post below with a photo for us all to see.
    04-26-13 09:51 PM
  9. Shanerredflag's Avatar
    If so, post below with a photo for us all to see.http://htcf.info/13.jpg
    Just go up to Omnitechs post and click on the link...sold out in 90 minutes.

    Posted via CB10
    04-26-13 09:59 PM
  10. Omnitech's Avatar
    That is categorically false. They had two lines, one for guys like me buying one or two, and one for people buying 10 or more. You can see it in the pics.

    Speculators are fine. Its an indication of pent up demand here.

    I noticed in some other accounts from CB'ers that had been there, that they did indeed apparently have some people buying up bunches of devices with cash.
    04-29-13 12:13 PM
  11. mikeycollins13's Avatar
    They were buying them in the 100s!!, not 10s or 20s. Pics coming soon.
    04-29-13 01:27 PM
  12. tstrike34's Avatar
    True...I feel for you folks on Verizon, not sure why they are bucking the rest of the world.
    Well we have Vodaphone who is a very big EU carrier.... My EU travels take me to the Netherlands, Scandanavia, and Germany..... Vodaphone covers those guys so I am oky dokey with VzW.
    Shanerredflag likes this.
    04-29-13 01:37 PM
  13. tstrike34's Avatar
    They were buying them in the 100s!!, not 10s or 20s. Pics coming soon.
    Mike,

    I appreciate you articulating in a manner that is easy to understand without all of the Wall Street and Capital Markets lingo. It is good that you are ferreting out these abusers of the stock markets. Good for you sir, good for you!!!!
    04-29-13 01:39 PM
  14. pooger's Avatar
    I liked how he called out Pac Crest. very nice
    Shanerredflag likes this.
    04-29-13 04:48 PM
  15. Omnitech's Avatar
    I liked how he called out Pac Crest. very nice

    Michael is definitely a treasure amongst the more usual 3rd-rate Wall St trolls that get published on sites like Motley Fool and SeekingAlpha.

    I'm using sites other than Yahoo these days to get quotes on BBRY, and also links to BBRY investment news.

    Definitely helps the blood pressure not being continually hit over the head with as many stories written by the BBRY bears/trolls. Google's page also updates nearly in real-time and without all the bloated javascript nonsense that Yahoo is using nowadays for their ticker thingy that I don't care about, that I always have to close after it opens and slows down my browser.
    04-30-13 08:35 AM

Similar Threads

  1. Pulled the trigger on accessories.
    By Detman101 in forum More for your BBOS Phone!
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 06-17-08, 10:55 PM
  2. just bought an 8830 on ebay.. Help
    By j0ecruiser in forum BlackBerry 88xx Series
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 05-29-08, 11:44 AM
  3. just dropped my berry on the driveway!
    By Cobra302 in forum BlackBerry Curve Series
    Replies: 33
    Last Post: 05-29-08, 01:30 AM
  4. i just got my BBPEARL on 8-2-07
    By mapalmer67 in forum New to the Forums? Introduce Yourself Here!
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 03-17-08, 03:21 AM
  5. Just bought a Pearl on Ebay
    By bbpearlnewbie in forum BlackBerry Pearl Series
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: 02-22-08, 10:17 AM
LINK TO POST COPIED TO CLIPBOARD