Hottest links for August 2nd, 2013 (see Thursday’s edition of hottest links here). Top stories for today include; Hedge funds and Belarus have something in common; No need to look at small caps to disprove the EMH just look at some very large tech giants; A look at Europe’s largest hedge funds; Barack Obama a secret Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) agent? Some startling new evidence; No one ever wants to buy when there is blood in the streets, but European stocks are really cheap and some companies could be worth a look; There is a new private equity giant, but Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) is not parting with its PE division anytime soon; The Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) horror story is hopefully ending soon. All that and more below.
Hottest Links: Stories
Belarus: potash loser
Belarus has not been in the headlines much since the invasion of the USSR by Nazi Germany in 1941, and the absolute rout of the Germans from the region in June 1944. However, this week the very closed economy of Belarus is all over the news. And hedge funds take some condolence, Belarus is also a big loser from the crash in Potash prices. [Sergei Kuznetsov Blogs.FT]
Dell Nears Deal
After months of praying to end our misery, the Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) LBO drama might finally be over. We are all crossing our fingers that the latest reports are true. [Eileen O’Grady and Poornima Gupta, Reuters]
Holding my nose and buying in Europe
It is scary to invest in Europe, but an interesting case made by this blog using some great research on why large cap value stocks might be a bargain in Europe right now. [The Investor, Monevator]
Large Cap ‘Fallen Angel’ Tech Stocks
Anyone who still believes in efficient markets does not need to look at smallcap stocks. Just look at the performance of large cap tech stocks over the past 15 years, including Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY), and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). [StevenCarroll, Alpha Now]
Grosvenor considers private-equity purchase
Grosvenor Capital Management LP is buying the private equity wing of Credit Suisse Group AG (ADR) (NYSE:CS), and it should double the firms AUM, which will now total $45 billion. [Lynne Marek, Chicago Business]. However, while other banks flee private equity, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) plans to stick around. [Gina Chon, Quartz]
Smartphone Ads That Work
Mobile ads are annoying and therefore consumers (and advertisers) tend to dislike them. Is there a way to improve mobile ads? Checkout some smartphone ads which work. [Miklos Sarvary, GSB Columbia]
The New Housing Boom
Cullen Roche the rate of housing appreciation has completely taken me by surprise. [Cullen Roche, Prag Cap]
Who Are Europe’s Hedge Fund Winners?
Brevan Howard is the largest hedge fund in Europe according to a new study by the Wall Street Journal. Coming in second is BlueCrest and in third MAN GROUP PLC (LON:EMG) (OTCMKTS:MNGPF). [Harriet Agnew, WSJ]. In related news, Man Group reported earnings this morning- check it out here. Also check out our coverage from Brevan Howard’s latest hedge fund letter.
The US student loan problem
The US Congress is nearing a compromise on the issue of student loan interest rates. Some great charts and data on everything you ever wanted to know about about the student loan crisis. [Sober Look]
Dashboard of MFO Profiled Funds
Everything you need to know about the mutual fund industry here. The Mutual Fund Observer for August is out (H/T Abnormal Returns). [David, Mutual Fund Observer]
Blumberg Capital Earns 52x Return On HootSuite
Blumberg Capital said it earned a 52x return in four years from its investment in HootSuite. The site is receiving over $150 million of new financing. Of course this is not a bubble! [Mboslet, peHUB]
Not The Onion
A little Herbalife red-herring
Is this Barack Obama advertising for Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE:HLF) back in 2004. Check out this picture from their form S-1. Is Barack Obama really a secret agent sent by Herbalife to control the USA, or is this a double? You decide. [John Hempton, Bronte Capital]
Check back on Sunday for the next edition of hottestlinks.
