Asensio doesn charge for his website. So who funds it?
Good question. By separating his publishing and trading into two firms several years ago, Asensio made clear that the publishing activities generate income. He doesn’t have to disclose the source(s) because his businesses are private. We have no direct knowledge of who funds the website. But we’ll make an educated guess that he funds it with the support he receives from his hedge fund clients. Which would be fine were it not for his failure to disclose this. His clients obviously write some of the reports. He’s obligated to disclose this, their financial support, and their positions in the stocks that he attacks on their behalf. Can you imagine Asensio’s reaction if a company hired a PR firm but did not disclose it? Yet when he does the same for hedge funds with a pre-existing interest in driving down prices, he feels free to make no disclosure. This is not only called hypocrisy; we doubt the law allows it.
