Hedge Fund and Insider Trading News: Bill Ackman, Ray Dalio, Jana Partners, Hindsight Capital, Nine Masts Capital, Pedevco Corp (PED), Oaktree Specialty Lending Corp (OCSL), and More

Bridgewater Gains 7.8% in December as One Big Month Saves Year (Bloomberg)
Ray Dalio’s Bridgewater Associates posted a December return of 7.8% through Wednesday for its flagship hedge fund and is now poised to book its best annual performance since 2018, after a lackluster 11 months. The $150 billion firm’s Pure Alpha II fund was up 8.14% on the year, according to a person familiar with the performance who declined to elaborate on what wagers contributed to the December results.

Pershing Square Tontine: Beaten Down, Unloved, Forgotten, But Compelling (Seeking Alpha)
Bill Ackman‘s SPAC trades at a discount to NAV, offering investors a virtually risk-free look at any upside he can produce. Ackman remains highly incentivized to consummate an accretive merger with PSTH. In capital return scenarios – both via failure to find a deal or via the “SPARC” – investors stand to make a low single digit IRR.

Jana Partners Nominates Two to TreeHouse’s Board (Reuters)
(Reuters) – Hedge fund Jana Partners said on Thursday it nominated two directors to the board of TreeHouse Foods Inc, months after it pushed for changes at the packaged food maker. The private-label food group said in November it was exploring options including a sale of the company or divestment of a unit after pressure from the activist investor.

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Unphased By DOJ Probe, Hedge Funds Continue To Issue Short Reports (Forbes)
The Department of Justice is reportedly investigating the relationship between research firms that publish short reports and the hedge funds that short the companies in those reports. However, many hedge funds are holding their ground as the investigation proceeds, and they continue to issue short reports and act upon them.

Citi and Nine Masts Group Sues China Aoyuan Group (SWFI)
China Aoyuan Group Limited or Aoyuan is one of the largest-scale property developer headquartered in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Hedge fund Nine Masts Capital and Citibank took legal action to recoup more than US$ 131 million owed to them by China Aoyuan Group, a cash-strapped mainland China developer. On December 23, 2021, Nine Masts and Citibank…