According To Sources

I'm joined by Joshua Goldberg to assess the various scenarios and outcomes in TIF, XRX, HPQ, WBA and many more. In addition we sum up 2019 and try to examine what made this year quite so difficult.

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Following his success at CSX, press is reporting that Paul Hilal and his fund Mantle Ridge are now contemplating a move at food service/uniform giant Aramark. I'm joined by Nomura analyst Dan Dolev to discuss the possible outcomes. Later I interview Cowen's John Kernan regarding the Jana stake in ELY. Other companies mentioned include RRGB, QURE, CIR and BKS

Aaron and I sit down to discuss the latest with Sprint/T-Mobile, speculate on the trade's war potential impact on Mellanox, weigh if the potential for HUM to disrupt the CNC/WCG deal is more smoke then fire, and lastly speculate on HOME, AVYA and MGLN

I'm joined by merger-arb and event trader Joshua Goldberg to discuss the various scenarios and possible outcomes in the current battle for Anadarko Petroleum. Does Chevron need to match the OXY bid to win the deal? How much room to bump does OXY have? Why haven't we heard public discontent among OXY holders?

APC/CVX, BMY/CELG, and BBT/STI are three mega-deals of 2019 with one common denominator: No major media outlets managed to scoop the story before it was press released. So what's changed in the world of m&a journalism in the last few years? Greg Roumeliotis reflects on a 13+ year career with Reuters news covering deals and deal speculation. We discuss "bad" journalism, competition among peers and dig into why media intervention can often disrupt the entire deal process.

On this week's According to Sources, I sit down with Brett Buckley and James Dileva of Wallachbeth Capital. We discuss how event funds are coping with the current drought of deals, and later analyze AABA, COTY, and DELL

After lots of internal back and forth, I've removed CELG/BMY until further notice. The rest of the episode touches on BKS, the latest at ZAYO, WBC, RCII and why I've initiated a small position in SFLY

The possibility of a China/US trade agreement draws closer each day. Is this an overhang removed to be bought or a sell the news event? Henrietta Treyz of Veda Partners joins me to discuss the details around enforcement and how funds seem to be positioned. In addition I'll give some thoughts on BMY/CELG

The Merger Masters Podcast series continues with Drew Figdor of TIG Advisors. We discuss his views on activism, his methods for assessing risk, and the role that both ego and fear play in the minds of fund managers. In addition I begin the podcast by weighing in on BMY, ZAYO, NLSN and BKS.

The Merger Masters podcast series continues with John Bader. Time Stamps: 1:25 Evolving as an investor 7:40 "I'm a seller of most asset classes" 8:50 Blockchain/Cryptos 10:05 Early career 12:40 Lessons learned from Martin Gruss 15:55 Other people's money 17:50 Examining new deals 24:25: ABBV/SHPG 27:35: Avoiding "scary" industires 35:25: Activism 36:15 Five questions for John Bader

INTRO: 2:28 It takes a sixth-sense 4:05 Choosing which deals to participate in 6:30 SKY ltd / Comcast / Disney 7:45: Early career 17:00 Hedge fund vs. family office 18:34 PFE/ AGN 25:17 BMY / CELG 32:08 Detour Gold 40:02 Merger -arbitrage post The Big Short 42:10 Activism 45:30 Puerto Rico 50:09 6 questions for John Paulson 1) President Trump 2) Fannie / Freddie 3) When you seek an opinion that lies outside of Paulson funds, who is your first call? 4) If you could only invest in 1 outside hedge fund, who would it be? 5) Word association: cannabis, bitcoin, Elon Musk, CNBC Television 6) If you'd never become a fund manager, what would you have become?

On this week's episode I revisit Barnes & Noble after mixed holiday sales. I explain how I've adjusted my position in MLNX, quickly touch on QEP & ARNC, and end with the 6 factors driving the spread in BMY/CELG

Wall Street just experienced its worst selloff since 2008. In this week's podcast I sort through the wreckage and examine what I believe are the best opportunities in both merger-arbitrage and deal speculation. In addition, I delve into how I'm adjusting my portfolio to market conditions. Disclaimer: This is not investment advice and should not be treated so. The contents of the podcast are the opinions of Michael Samuels, Broome Street Capital, and According to Sources

In conjunction with the release of Kate Welling & Mario Gabelli's book "Merger Masters" According to Sources continues it's interview series this week with Westchester Capital Management. Michael Shannon and Roy Behren have worked in tandem at WCM for over 25 years. We discussed portfolio structure, how they gain an edge over other merger-arb funds, and hit on some current situations including Aspen Insurance (AHL) and the breakup of United Technologies (UTX) According to Morningstar the WCM Merger Fund is +7.09% YTD as of Nov 30th

Steven Tusa of JP Morgan has claimed superstar status for his call to sell General Electric in 2016 when it was $29 a share. At near $7 now, Tusa continues to press GE, saying shares are worth $6. As we've seen with Meredith Whitney and Mary Meeker, Wall St.'s superstar analysts often stay TOO long in their calls, prompting a term Ron calls "Guru Overshoot" We discuss this dynamic, the future for GE, the rise and fall of Eddie Lampert's Sears vision, and make some political predictions for 2020.

Inspired by Kate Welling & Mario Gabelli's new book "Merger Masters," the According to Sources Podcast is interviewing each participant from the book, starting with Karen Finerman of Metropolitan Capital. In this incredibly honest and candid interview, we discuss why Karen has in recent years AVOIDED the merger-arb world, despite beginning her career there. She discusses the future of women in finance, and recounts with vivid detail the painful collapse of the UAL buyout in 1989, and what lessons were learned from it.

Sujeet Indap, journalist at the FT wrote the following in July, 2018 " Apollo’s life insurance affiliate Athene Holding (ATH) and Caldera are battling each other for control of American Equity Investment Life (AEL), an Iowa retirement annuities specialist that said in May it had put itself up for sale and has attracted a number of bidders. Athene is also a defendant in the suit. Caldera accused the defendants of “disparaging Caldera in the marketplace, issuing commercial and legal threats to those doing or considering business with Caldera and filing sham litigation in domestic and foreign fora”. Caldera is asking for at least $1.5bn in damages. Sujeet joined me last week to update and discuss this ongoing dispute in what I regard as one of Wall St. most under-the-radar dramas...

Aaron Glick and Eric Rose from Cowen & Co. join the podcast this week to discuss Shire/Takeda, Aetna/CVS, ESRX/CI and several other large transactions. They describe the methods in which their team gains an edge on the rest of Wall St. in the merger & event space, and later we list what deals perhaps pose the greatest risks / present possible short trades. Companies discussed: COL, FOXA, DVMT, RCII, PACB, ESIO, AET, ESRX

Paul Singer, Michael Price and John Paulson are just a few of the great merger-arb investors and corporate titans of industry that are interviewed by Kate Welling in the new book "Merger Masters." With contributions by Mario Gabelli, the book examines the founding fathers of this industry, infamous deals gone both right and wrong, and revisits the effect Ivan Boesky had on the industry.