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Politics : Evolution -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bill Wexler who wrote (9535)	11/8/2010 3:04:26 AM
From: Greg or e	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 69300

"Where is your degree in astrophysics from, and what year did you graduate?" Easy to ask others what their qualifications are, but you don't seem wiling to be open and honest yourself. "Who is Bill Wexler? asensioexposed.com Asensio's work is widely promoted on Internet chat boards. One of his longtime cheerleaders is Bill Wexler, who also gives short-selling advice of his own. Both Wexler and Asensio present themselves as dedicated fraud-fighters. Both love to exaggerate, use inflammatory language, and make dire predictions. Both practice guilt by association. It's little wonder that some believe Wexler is Asensio. Actually, the two differ more than enough to rule out the notion. Which does not rule out the possibility that they are business associates who have worked together for years. Bill Wexler Basics Wexler has hosted two discussion boards at Silicon Investor: Bill Wexler's Profits of DOOM, and its successor, Bill Wexler's Dog Pound. Both have served as billboards for his stock picks, which he has also publicized on Yahoo message boards. Like a traditional analyst, Wexler would "initiate coverage" on a stock. But the similarity ended there. His short recommendations were more akin to Asensio's "fraud alerts." Initial commentaries were followed by a steady stream of further accusations about his targets--and occasionally, even plans to contact regulatory authorities. Anyone who disagreed with him was promptly denounced as a "shill." One thing Wexler did not do was reveal his qualifications. But through his posts, he cultivated an image--that of a fabulously wealthy independent investor, living in the Bay Area and writing under his real name. One who could be counted on to answer any criticism with a reminder of how rich, how smart, and how right he was. Until late in May, 2002. When without notice, the normally combative Wexler suddenly vanished from his site. Where Did Wexler Go? Why Wexler abruptly stopped posting at his Dog Pound is unknown. But by the summer of 2002, his self-portrait as an independent investor had run into some resistance. One reader asked if Wexler was "part of Elgindy's outfit," a reference to the short-seller arrested for an alleged racketeering and extortion scheme. Wexler broke his silence to say he was simply taking some time off. Another observer pointed to a recent message that named nine short picks. Wexler was asked to explain the astonishing coincidence of all nine turning up in the holdings of a hedge fund located in the city where he lives. And not just any hedge fund, but Asensio's longtime client, West Highland Capital. Wexler never answered the question. Coincidence? Or Smoking Gun? The nine stocks were just the beginning. Wexler actually commented on 41 stocks held by West Highland between 1998 and 2002. Often (though not always) its position was fairly small for an institutional investor. Such a holding is frequently a marker for a far larger short position. The 41 stocks are shown in the chart, which includes both long and short picks. Obviously, many are small, little-known firms. Is it mere coincidence that Wexler knew enough about every one to offer an opinion? And that seven of the 30-odd short picks were targeted by not just by Wexler, but by Asensio as well?