I’ve never “pumped” so that’s nonsense.
As for AF, he has a terrible record, but he foreshadows shorting by hedge funds of the most unethical kind, not saying he does it himself, but when he attacks good companies, unethical things happen in the name of “investor advocacy”, and basically those who are attacking often loot those companies via frivolous lawsuits seeking generous settlements. I watch for that kind of attack and I’ve not ever lost money buying... because, though you are correct that his articles foreshadow short attacks of the most brutal type, it says absolutely nothing about the drugs the companies are pursuing and frequently it says little even about the companies but it does drive dilution and it drives investors away.
When carefully screened, which is what I do for my investments, it means you get investments that are ridiculously discounted, and in many cases do not actually deserve to be so, but you have to watch and be patient. So yes, I make money on his nonsense. He’s a tool, whether he “knows” it or not, and those who use him to hide behind when they engage in those tactics, well, that enables their defense from legal consequences, as they claim “AF” told me to do it, and “he’s always right” and “his efficient markets theory is never wrong”. But that does not make him a person who actually knows or understands very much. And all of those claims are bogus, though acceptable as reasons for “believing AF”.
But for me, he is a contrary indicator always. But you have to know how to watch his targets and when and how to buy them, if they are viable after the attacks. Not all are viable. And it’s clearly better to know what targets can survive and which ones cannot. But his theory does not “predict” failures, the combination of his attacks with the shorts MAKE him and those who work in consort with the short attackers wealthy and therefore they seem to be predicting something they are actually make happen, in my opinion. This is all in my opinion.
The tactics of those who use him are distasteful and disgusting. People who make money by attacking good companies are know nothing scoundrels who make money by undermining progress and taking advantage of the ignorance and superficiality of the markets... but that is why that creates money for investors like me.
