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May 4 (Reuters) - Canadian lender Toronto-Dominion Bank Group (TD.TO) has called off its deal to acquire First Horizon Corp (FHN.N) for $13.4 billion on Thursday, sending the U.S. bank's shares down 44.5% in premarket trading. As part of the termination, TD will pay $200 million to First Horizon in addition to a $25 million fee reimbursement, the banks said. TD first agreed to buy First Horizon in February last year to expand its presence in the United States. Since then, the lender has acquired New York-based boutique investment bank Cowen Inc for $1.3 billion this year. ORTEX data from early last month showed the second-largest Canadian lender was the world's most shorted banking stock.

☆ Exclusive: U.S. officials assessing possible 'manipulation' on banking shares- source
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

May 4 (Reuters) - U.S. officials at the federal and state level are assessing the possibility of "market manipulation" behind big moves in banking share prices in recent days, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Shares of regional banks resumed their slide this week after the collapse of First Republic Bank, the third U.S. mid-sized lender to fail in two months. Short sellers raked in $378.9 million in paper profits on Thursday alone from betting against certain regional banks, according to analytics firm Ortex. "State and federal regulators and officials are increasingly attentive to the possibility of market manipulation regarding banking equities," the source said. "This week we have seen that regional banks remain well- capitalized," the source said.

First Horizon and TD said in a statement they had mutually decided to end the deal because there was no clarity on when they would get regulatory approvals. TD will pay $200 million to First Horizon, in addition to a $25 million fee reimbursement. 2 lender came under pressure from some investors to scrap the purchase after the U.S. regional banking crisis. TD agreed to buy First Horizon in February last year to expand its presence in the United States. Average deposits at First Horizon fell 4% to $62.2 billion in the first quarter, compared to the end of last year.

☆ Short sellers reap $378.9 mln from losses in PacWest, two other bank stocks - Ortex
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 4 (Reuters) - Short sellers made $378.9 million in paper profits betting against regional banks First Horizon Corp (FHN.N), PacWest Bancorp (PACW.O) and Western Alliance Bancorp (WAL.N) in Thursday's session, analytics firm Ortex said. PacWest Bancorp (PACW.O) dove 57% on Thursday, dragging down other regional lenders, after the Los Angeles-based bank said it was in talks about strategic options. Western Alliance Bancorp (WAL.N) denied a report from the Financial Times that said it was exploring a potential sale. Over the first two days of May, short sellers made $1.2 billion from declines in stocks of U.S. regional lenders, according to Ortex. Short sellers typically sell borrowed securities and aim to buy these back at a lower price to pocket the difference.

NEW YORK, May 4 (Reuters) - The practice of short selling is coming under increased scrutiny as shares of regional banks remain under pressure, with some calls for more regulatory oversight of the practice. Short sellers, who borrow shares they expect to fall and hope to repay the loan for less later to pocket the difference, have profited from the banking crisis. During the financial crisis, short selling was temporarily banned in the U.S., although a New York Federal Reserve review later showed the curb did not achieve the intended effect. The SEC declined to comment on Thursday when asked if it should impose a short selling ban. While some market participants criticized the practice, others, like non-profit group Better Markets, said short sellers warned markets about the challenges regional banks were facing.

☆ Factbox: Short sellers rake in $1.2 bln in profits as US regional bank stocks suffer
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

May 3 (Reuters) - Short sellers have pocketed $1.2 billion in paper profits betting against U.S. regional lenders in the first two days of May, analytics firm Ortex said, as the third major regional bank failure in two months sparked a selloff in the sector. U.S. regulators seized First Republic Bank and sold most of its assets to JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) on Monday in a $10.6 billion deal. Here is a list of companies that generated the most profits for short sellers on May 1 and May 2:Source: Ortex dataCompiled by Medha Singh in Bengaluru; Edited by Shounak DasguptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US regional lenders notch modest gains after two-day slump
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Medha Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PacWest Bancorp (PACW.O) shares gained 2.1% in early trading after tumbling 28% to close at their lowest level on record on Tuesday. The KBW Regional Banking Index (.KRX) rose 1% after closing at its lowest level since December 2020. Evercore ISI analysts lowered their 2023 earnings outlook for regional lenders. The brokerage now estimates a nearly 1%decline from a year earlier, compared to an already lowered expectations of a 4% growth, blaming it on intensifying funding cost pressures amid declining regional bank deposits. Meanwhile, short sellers have pocketed $1.2 billion in paper profits betting against regional lenders in the first two days of May, with Truist Financial Corp (TFC.N) and PacWest generating the highest gains, analytics firm Ortex said.

☆ Short-sellers raise their stakes against these 2 European banks by billions since the SVB crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Short-sellers significantly increased their bets against European banks Santander and ING amidst a turbulent month for the global banking sector. Madrid-headquartered Santander's stock saw the biggest surge in short interest among European banks since Mar. The table below shows 10 European banks with the largest increase in shorts between Mar. Meanwhile, France's BNP Paribas had attracted the largest short interest in dollar value among European banks, followed by Santander and ING. The below table lists the 10 European bank stocks with the largest short interest as of Apr.

REUTERS/Pierre AlbouyMILAN/LONDON, April 21 (Reuters) - Short-sellers who bet against European banks are set to lose a substantial amount of money in April after the sector bounced back from the shock downfall of Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) in anticipation of strong quarterly earnings. The STOXX European banks share index (.SX7P) has risen as much as 18% from late March's lows. But a Bank of America survey showed fund managers cut bank exposure in April to the lowest since May 2020, as they piled into more recession-proof defensive sectors. Ortex estimates short interest on European banks is close to 1% of the free share float, an 11-month high. One area of concern is exposure to commercial real estate and investors will be alert to any sign of emerging stress as European lenders report earnings next week.

☆ Short bets against TD Bank surge 45% in two weeks to hit $6.1 billion amid investor skepticism toward its planned First Horizon takeover
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Short equity bets against Toronto-Dominion surged to $6.1 billion on Wednesday, up 45% from two weeks earlier. That comes as the Canada-based bank faces investor skepticism over its planned takeover of First Horizon Bank. TD became the most-shorted bank in the world in early April as it faces a slew of headwinds. It comes as traders question the bank's planned takeover of US regional bank First Horizon, according to the publication. "I think that short interest was elevated by arbitrage investors betting on the (First Horizon) deal ... suggesting that the market believes that the deal is at risk of closing," James Shanahan, an analyst at Edward Jones told the outlet.

☆ Short positions on Canada's TD Bank rise to $6.1 billion, ORTEX data shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Maiya Keidan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TORONTO, April 19 (Reuters) - Hedge fund bets against Canada's TD Bank Group (TD.TO) hit $6.1 billion on Wednesday, a 45% increase from 14 days ago, according to data provider ORTEX's calculations, one day ahead of the Canadian lender's annual general meeting. So-called 'arbitrage investors', many of which are event-driven hedge funds, bet on mergers and acquisitions by buying shares of the target and shorting the acquirer's stock. TD, which is awaiting regulatory approval of its takeover of First Horizon, is expected to address the $13.4 billion deal at its AGM on Thursday in Toronto. Hedge funds profit when they borrow a stock from an institutional investor and sell it back when the price falls, pocketing the difference, a practice known as short-selling. TD shares are down 0.1% since the U.S. regional banking crisis began, and up 3.4% this week.

☆ Bank of Canada seen holding on rates amid cooling inflation, financial turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Steve Scherer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Governor of the Bank of Canada Tiff Macklem walks outside the Bank of Canada building in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada June 22, 2020. Last month the Bank of Canada became the world's first major central bank to pause its tightening campaign, leaving its benchmark rate at 4.50%. However, bank failures in the United States and Europe have put central bankers on guard against a widespread credit crunch. All 33 economists polled by Reuters agree that the Bank of Canada (BoC) will hold its key overnight rate steady. "Hiking in this environment would put markets on high alert," said Jay Zhao-Murray, FX Market Analyst at Monex Canada, in a note.

☆ Analysis: Heroes or villains: Short sellers' role in the U.S. bank crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Lawrence Delevingne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

How much short sellers contributed to the downward spiral reprises the debate about whether so-called shorts are market watchdogs or opportunistic investors who profit from others’ misery. In the case of the banking crisis, a review of data and interviews with short sellers and their critics show, the answer may be both. Some high profile short sellers were later celebrated as making prophetic calls about the U.S. housing market. Even so, interviews and public postings show at least some short sellers had placed bets against regional banks well before the crisis hit. SHORT POSITIONSSuch early short sellers, however, were in the small minority.

☆ March's banking chaos gave short sellers their biggest profits since the financial crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 15: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on March 15, 2023 in New York City. Short sellers were sitting on more than $7 billion in profit from the mass sell-off of bank shares by the end of March, their largest windfall since the global financial crisis in 2008, according to data firm Ortex. The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and the emergency rescue of Credit Suisse by domestic rival UBS headlined a chaotic month for the global banking sector. Hedge funds shorting bank stocks were sitting on a total of $7.25 billion in unrealized gains over the course of the month, according to Ortex. "ORTEX data shows that March was the single most profitable month for short sellers in the banking sector since the 2008 financial crash," company co-founder Peter Hillerberg said Thursday.

☆ Morning Bid: Weary markets wary of recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Asian stocks sagged, while the dollar was on the front foot as investors kept their risk-off hat ahead of the long weekend. Oil prices eased after the shock at the start of the week from OPEC+ to cut production. Futures hint at a muted open in Europe, with the pan-European STOXX 600 index aiming to break its losing streak this week. European equities had a stellar start to the year but the March madness due to the banking turmoil has weighed. Meanwhile, UBS executives sought to assure investors on Wednesday that Switzerland's largest bank can make its shotgun takeover of Swiss rival Credit Suisse work.

☆ TD world's most shorted banking stock, shares down -ORTEX data
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Maiya Keidan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Around 4.1% of TD's outstanding shares were out on loan to hedge funds, while the second-most shorted bank stock, JP Morgan , only had $2.3 billion worth of shorts, showed the data. Hedge funds profit when they borrow a stock from an institutional investor and sell it back when the price falls, pocketing the difference, a practice known as short-selling. Turmoil in the banking sector began last month with the collapse of regional banks Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, sparking a crisis of confidence. TD shares are down 15.7% since the beginning of the regional bank crisis and down 3.4% this week. Around 2.9% of BMO's outstanding shares were out on loan to hedge funds, or about $1.8 billion.

☆ TD world's most shorted banking stock, ORTEX data shows; shares fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Maiya Keidan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

☆ Betting against First Republic, short sellers made $848 mln in March - Ortex
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

April 4 (Reuters) - Short sellers made a whopping $848 million in paper profit by betting against beleaguered First Republic Bank (FRC.N) in March, financial data company Ortex said on Tuesday, making it the most profitable short trade last month. The lender's shares slumped 88.6% in March, its worst monthly performance, as the U.S. banking crisis fueled fears that the San Francisco-based bank could also fall prey to the issues that hit Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. Silvergate Capital Corp wound down operations on March 8 and days later Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank were seized by regulators amid liquidity crises, denting investor confidence in the U.S. banking sector. Reporting by Medha Singh and Sruthi Shankar in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun KoyyurOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Short sellers make $100 mln betting against Deutsche Bank in two weeks-Ortex
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, March 24 (Reuters) - Short sellers have made a profit of over $100 million on paper betting against Deutsche Bank stock over the last two weeks, financial data company Ortex said on Friday. Ortex said short interest in Deutsche Bank's (DBKGn.DE) European and U.S.-listed shares has doubled over that period to $360 million. Deutsche's German shares were last down 10% to 8.4 euros ($9.03) on Friday as ongoing fears about the health of global banks knocked confidence in Germany's biggest bank. They've lost 24% in value in the past two weeks. ($1 = 0.9298 euros)Reporting by Harry Robertson; Editing by Amanda CooperOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Hindenburg takes aim at Dorsey's payments firm Block, shares plunge
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Manya Saini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Block shares fell as much as 22% before paring losses and were last down 14% at $62.61 in afternoon trading. After reviewing the full report, Block said it was "designed to deceive and confuse investors". Hindenburg said that Block "obfuscates" how many individuals are on the Cash App platform by reporting misleading "transacting active" metrics filled with fake and duplicate accounts. The app had 51 million monthly transacting actives, a 16% year-over-year increase during December 2022, Block said in fourth-quarter earnings letter. "What I am really concerned about is the Cash App, accusations of fraud, multiple accounts, opening accounts and fake names.

☆ Hindenburg shorts Jack Dorsey's payments firm Block, shares plunge
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The logo of Cash App is seen at the main hall during the Bitcoin Conference 2022 in Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. April 6, 2022. REUTERS/Marco BelloMarch 23 (Reuters) - Hindenburg Research on Thursday disclosed short positions in Block Inc (SQ.N) and alleged that the Jack Dorsey-led payments firm overstated its user numbers and understated its customer acquisition costs. Shares of Block slid 20% to $57.85 in premarket trading following the report. Hindenburg added that Block "obfuscates" how many individuals are on the Cash App platform by reporting misleading "transacting active" metrics filled with fake and duplicate accounts. Founded in 2017 by Nathan Anderson, Hindenburg is a forensic financial research firm that analyses equity, credit and derivatives.

☆ Kerrisdale takes short position in Uranium Energy; shares fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 23 (Reuters) - Kerrisdale Capital said on Thursday that it had built a short position in Uranium Energy Corp (UEC.A), sending the miner's shares down more than 10%. The short seller said in a report that the company had failed to exploit a spike in uranium prices during the last two bull markets. Uranium Energy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kerrisdale said that of the company's stated 140 million pounds of estimated uranium resources in the United States, none can be mined profitably at current prices. "Only about a quarter of the resources will be economically viable even at the much higher uranium prices."

☆ GameStop's surprise profit triggers short squeeze, meme stocks rally
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Medha Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AMC and GameStop were at the heart of a meme-stock frenzy in 2021 driven by small investors coordinating on social media. Among other highly shorted meme stocks, Koss Corp (KOSS.O) climbed 9.5%, Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY.O) reversed course to slip 1.3%, while the Roundhill MEME ETF (MEME.P) rose 4.2%. "Luckily, this go around is not due to meme investors, but an actual tangible fundamental event," said David Wagner, portfolio manager at Aptus Capital Advisors. SOURING SHORT BETSWhen there is a rush of demand from short sellers looking to exit their bearish bets amid a rise in a stock's price, it pushes prices even higher, resulting in a short squeeze. Another favorite among retail investors - Carvana Co (CVNA.N) - jumped 22% after the used-car retailer said it expects a smaller core loss in the current quarter.

March 20 (Reuters) - Shares of First Republic Bank (FRC.N) closed 47% lower on Monday, adding to recent losses as concerns about its liquidity continued to worry investors despite a $30 billion influx of deposits last week. The bank's stock fell as much as 50% and closed at $12.18 after the New York Stock Exchange halted it several times due to volatility. S&P Global downgraded First Republic deeper into junk status on Sunday and said the recent cash infusion from 11 large U.S. banks last week may not solve its liquidity problems. A First Republic Bank branch is pictured in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S., March 13, 2023. First Republic Bank's stock market collapseFirst Republic's stock market value has collapsed by over 80% in the past 10 trading sessions due to fears of a bank run as a large proportion of the lender's deposits are uninsured.

March 20 (Reuters) - Shares of First Republic Bank (FRC.N) extended a recent slump on Monday with a 15% drop, after a report the regional bank could raise more money fanned worries about its liquidity despite a $30 billion rescue last week. On Sunday, Reuters reported that the lender was still trying to put together a capital raise but that no deal was imminent. Short sellers in First Republic made about $560 million profit on paper since last Monday, analytics firm Ortex said. The S&P 1500 regional banks index (.SPCOMBNKS) added nearly 3.4%, while S&P 500 banks (.SPXBK) gained 2.3%. A U.S. official told Reuters on Sunday that the deposit outflows that left many regional banks reeling in the wake of Silicon Valley Bank's failure had slowed and in some cases reversed.

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