I agree. I'm shocked. I sent an email to Greg Zuckerman and didn't receive a reply. However we've seen Vic's response. An anonymous alias on ET starts a thread and Vic is on the phone with Baron denying, denying, denying. What if he played the same card with the media? A story filled with unsubstantiated innuendo is a sure lawsuit, eh? Hence the press like Pabst is waiting for hard numbers to be released. I will say: This time around, Vic's silence is deafening.
Props given where they're due, Pabst. Nice call. This is actually a good story for this site, since there are beginners here who might be having problems with their trading. Just goes to show you that anyone can make it and anyone can fail. Niederhoffer obviously has a problem with impulse control and also an ability to self-delude. With regard to Baron's decision to censor the content of this site, that's nothing new. I don't know about the legal or business implications so I can't condemn him for it. I somehow doubt that he would do it just because he's in thrall to Vic or his posse.
I would e-mail some folks besides Zuckerman. Trust me, after four weeks, if there were people hurt by Niederhoffer, the WSJ would have written about it -- or else the state of financial journalist has declined a great deal since I was in that game, and I don't think it has.
That goes back to the earlier point I made regarding Octane. The client losses in Vic's fund are rather opaque even to the end investor. One was not a client of Vic, they were a client of Octane. As a FOF Octane then spreads the money around. Thus it's doubtful that many customers were 100% effected by Vic's problems. Because of the reporting period, those customers possibly don't even know. I'm under the impression that the majority of the money invested was non U.S. If done judiciously it would be possible for an Octane investor to not even be materially damaged by Vic if portfolios were sufficiently diversified among managers. I have no idea if that was the case. In fact I STILL don't know any of this to be the case until I see it printed in the media but I'm not the only guy who's heard the scuttlebutt....
There are so many journos out there who hate Niederhoffer (and his former journo wife) that they would be all over this story, if it's true.
Then there is either a vast media conspiracy or vast media incompetence going on. (And by media I exclude CNBC and Fox. No one expects them to break a story like this.)
well, i appreciate you being honest. however (if the OP is right) refusing to apologize for insults when you're wrong is pretty cowardly and rude. why would mainstream press NOT jump all over it? they may not be able to get verification. and think about this...a major paper publishes rumors that vn blew out, and he didn't? they'd be sued from here to infinity and lose huge. a msg on a msg board? less important. depends on the impact of the board.