Nicmar I Agree Totally
It would have been EASY to make it LOOK like a smooth transition rather than an unexpected event. The sudden, unanticipated, shocking nature of HOW this happened speaks more loudly than the fact of what happened.
Because we don't know WHY it happened just that it did so of course it can only be seen as a negative signal. The WHAT, that the old boss is out and a new boss is in might in fact be a wonderful thing for the future and I for one think that Merritt HAS to be better than HG. BUT I think that the way it happened makes it seem like things are out of control and there is internal turbulence of an unknown nature, uncertainty and trouble afoot.
The fact that nothing more than a glib superficial cover story has been provided has to mean that the actual details would be seen as WORSE than anything people will speculate about in the absence of details. A deliberate decision NOT to say what is really going on reflects either a continuing PR total incompetence OR a recognition that the speculation isn't as bad as the truth OR both, none of which is good.
Again what surprises me is that the stock has held up this well at all.
I think now the NEED for a HUGE victory in the NOK arb combined with other litigation and licensing successes is even greater than it was before this happened.
And I don't expect to see the stock recover unless and until we get some really good news.