April
Why this US short seller is spooked by Australia
US-based Australian manager Nathan Koppikar says the ASX is too dominated by super funds and investor cliques – and other hedge funds agree.
- Matthew Cranston
February 2023
Receivers call time as Openpay closes
Openpay is the first buy now, pay later operator to fall victim to higher funding costs after receivers McGrathNicol were called in to close it down.
- Updated
- Ayesha de Kretser
January 2023
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Myer, Block and the market’s big punt on consumers
Myer is part of a group of small caps whose share price is on the rise, as the ASX turns optimistic about retail and the consumer outlook.
- James Thomson
August 2022
Sezzle surges, Zip follows, but then both rallies run out of puff
Sezzle said it could become profitable by the end of the year, sending its shares up 12 per cent.
- James Eyers
- Opinion
- Hedge funds
How a quant may have unleashed the revenge of the meme stocks
“Let ’em come,” Cliff Asness told meme traders after revealing he was shorting their favourite stock, AMC. And come they did.
- Jonathan Shapiro
July 2022
Sezzle better off without Zip, profit in sight, says CEO
Charlie Youakim believes the company could turn profitable by year-end but concedes M&A activity is still a valid way forward for stricken buy now, pay later operators.
- Tom Richardson
Inflation report boosts shares, Zip, Sezzle rocket
Shares got a boost from June quarter inflation data over a day that saw Sezzle lead the buy now, pay later juniors in a stunning rebound.
- Tom Richardson
Zip CEO says rivals are ‘innovating through imitation’
Zip Co co-founder Larry Diamond is not afraid of tech giants Apple and PayPal and the big banks. “We’re not concerned about these guys. They’ve been innovating through bureaucracy, innovating through imitation.”
- Ayesha de Kretser
Zip shuts Singapore, scraps business products to get to profit
The buy now, pay later company is getting out of overseas markets as it desperately tries to move itself into the black before it runs out of cash.
- Updated
- Ayesha de Kretser
Sezzle’s secret to success: suing GameStop
Sezzle is turning to legal arbitrage to deliver for shareholders.
- Michael Roddan
- Analysis
- Sharemarket
Zip, Sezzle and the elephants in the room
The market is abuzz over why Zip decided to scrap its Sezzle merger just three weeks after stating that it remained on track.
- Tom Richardson
Zip earns reprieve as deal with Sezzle comes apart at the seams
Zip shares soared after it called off a deal with struggling US-focused Sezzle, but concerns remain for the buy now, pay later minnows as consolidation stalls.
- Updated
- Ayesha de Kretser
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
The buy now, pay later party is officially over
The staggering fall in Klarna’s valuation and the collapse of the Zip-Sezzle merger exposes a sector still hunting for a profitable, sustainable business model.
- Updated
- James Thomson
Bad debts exposed with Zip down 5.2pc
UBS takes the knife to Zip saying credit quality is deteriorating as it chases growth.
- Updated
- Ayesha de Kretser
June 2022
Sezzle chief’s $800 million fortune erased
What a difference a year makes. Charlie Youakim’s paper fortune has collapsed as Sezzle races to secure a Zip Co merger.
- Tom Richardson
Opportunities as investors sell stocks for tax losses before June 30
Fund managers say there could be bargains for those who are willing and able to scout for small parcels of typically small-cap stocks.
- Stewart Oldfield
May 2022
Buy now, pay later dragged into Uvalde shooting controversy
A BNPL provider worked with Daniel Defense, the company that sold the gun used in the Uvalde shooting, as the sector faces more regulatory pressure.
- Updated
- Tom Richardson
‘Walk away’: fund manager lashes Zip’s bid for Sezzle
The problem for both companies is that the bad debt situation is just horrific, says Andrew Brown of hedge fund East 72.
- Tom Richardson
March 2022
- Analysis
- Sharemarket
Zip, Sezzle smashed by confidence crisis
Affirm had to halt a debt offering on Friday in a move blamed on rate market volatility, as confidence sinks in buy now, pay later in a rising rate environment.
- Tom Richardson
- Analysis
- Bulls & bears
Analysts run the ruler over Zip and Sezzle
Now that the Zip and Sezzle tie-up is official, analysts in the buy now, pay later sector have crunched the numbers, and are yet to be convinced of its merits.
- Jonathan Shapiro