James Chanos, president of Kynikos Associates, recently did an eleven-minute interview with PBS' Nightly Business Report. Similar to William Ackman's recent appearance on Charlie Rose (see previous post), this was a thoughtful exchange about key issues facing capital markets. Veteran reporter Darren Gersh did not pull any punches in the interview, querying Chanos on short-selling, vetting of qualified investors, and transparency issues. So, this was no puff piece.
The important fact though, as Chanos demonstrates, is that there are credible, logical answers to just about any question a responsible hedge fund might face from the media. Moreover, reasonable people watching at home are likely to agree with those answers. If hedge fund managers did more of these interviews there would be far less confusion about the roles hedge funds play in the market, the institutional investment needs they seek to fill and how they make money.
Some notable quotes by James Chanos during the interview:
Short selling "should be encouraged, not discouraged."
Short sellers are "the real financial detectives. Regulators are the financial archaeologists."
Regarding accusations by bank CEOs that short sellers imperiled their banks: "It's easier to point fingers at others, when you've screwed up."
On Bernie Madoff and whether there is such a thing as a "sophisticated" investor: "people will always do stupid things with their money, when greed takes over."
On the effectiveness of regulation, the largest "financial disasters happened among regulated firms."
Click on the image below to view the interview in a new window.
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