Short and Distort for Listed Companies

Threat Events: Short & Distort Sectors: Various Clients: Listed Companies

Challenge: Rubus has not provided support for the Boards of listed companies in 7 Short & Distort assignments

  1. Shorting stock is legal, voicing a valid opinion in investment research is also legal, but in a campaign to manipulate stock price both these legal activities are combined so that a PR Campaign to undermine confidence in either the accuracy of accounting records, or the competence of the management team of a Target Stock, is launched shortly after the Stock Shorter shorting the Target Stock.
  2. Proving criminal intent to manipulate the market is difficult to prove, because the Stock Shorter(s) and the PR Campaigners hide conceal their collusion.
  3. The Stock Shorter and their PR Campaigner partners will have had six months to select the Target Stock, and plan a detailed and carefully choreographed adverse media campaign designed to destroy value. The Board of the Board of Targeted Stock will have less than a week to defend the value of their stock.
  4. Legal and PR advisors to the Board of Targeted Stock offer different toolkits with conflicting priorities – this means both will act in the best interests of their client, but are likely to offer conflicting advice on the company’s best response.

Outcome:

We have progressed from providing threat intelligence to taking the key advisory role, because after 7 engagements, we have a better idea of the defensive strategies that have worked, versus those that have failed.

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