Short Seller is Betting on Market Crash

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Horseman Capital’s Russell Clark discussed his long career of being a contrarian and how, “with resolve virtually unheard of in the industry, he’s been betting on stock declines for more than seven years.”

But so far, his skepticism isn’t paying off, the article reports, adding that Horseman Global lost 15 percent of its value in the first quarter amidst a rise for the S&P 500 of 13 percent. The fund lost another 12.2 percent in April and is losing clients—in the last two year, assets have decreased by half (to $690 million).

But this doesn’t seem to flap Clark, who has been with Horseman since 2006. The article explains: “His contrarian thinking has withstood a decade-long bull market” and, in the most recent market sell-off in December, Horseman’s fund rose by 13.5 percent. That said, the article describes the fund as a “roller coaster ride: Losing or gaining more than 5 percent in a given month isn’t unusual. It’s not for everybody.”

The article offers an overview of Clark’s career, adding that he invests nearly all his own money in Horseman funds and takes a long view. He told Bloomberg: “I’ve been through a number of hero-to-zero periods. When people hate you and write terrible things about you, it tends to be the best time to invest.”

But if he’s wrong in his convictions, Clark told Bloomberg, “This could be my farewell interview.”